Press Advisories

28. 3. 2017 23:12

V4 country Prime Ministers discuss future of the EU and support for startups

Press conference of Visegrad group Prime Ministers, 28th March 2017.
Press conference of Visegrad group Prime Ministers, 28th March 2017.
Tuesday 28th March 2017 saw a summit in Warsaw of Prime Ministers of the Visegrad group of countries. During this Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Bohuslav Sobotka, together with the other prime ministers debated the future of the European Union and agree on joint support for new digital technologies and startups.

Meeting of V4 country Prime Ministers

The Prime Ministers of the V4 countries spoke about the official start of the withdrawal process for Great Britain from the EU through the activation of Article 50 of the EU Treaty, which the British government is due to implement by tomorrow.

At a working lunch, Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico also discussed the concept of a so-called multi-speed Europe and the topic of the free movement of labour. They also touched on the question of migration, where in the view of Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka it is important to focus on resolving the real causes, protecting the external borders of the EU and improving repatriation policies. A further topic of the meeting was the situation in Belarus further to the weekend protests in Minsk. The V4 called on the Belarus authorities and representatives to respect the fundamental human rights and freedoms of their citizens.

Central and Eastern Europe innovators' Summit

In the afternoon the Prime Ministers of the Visegrad group of countries took part in a Central and Eastern Europe Innovators Summit in Warsaw, where they discussed the topic of regional collaboration aimed at developing the innovation economy.

In their Warsaw Declaration the Prime Ministers then also confirmed their intention of joint support for the development of new digital technologies, including joint support for start up innovation firms and further development of the common EU digital market. The Declaration also defines a plan to promote the Visegrad region as a centre for research and innovation.

At the conclusion of the programme Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka visited the stands of several Czech companies present at the two-day summit.

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