Central, East European parliament heads to meet in Prague

The heads of parliament from 11 countries in Central and Eastern Europe are set to meet in Prague at the weekend to discuss possibilities to form joint positions on European Commission proposals. It is the first such meeting of its kind and will be held in the Czech senate. Both Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek and the Minister for European Affairs Alexandr Vondra are expected to attend. The head of the Czech senate, Přemysl Sobotka, has suggested that representatives will try to find similar standpoints on issues to be able to push their agenda more effectively at the European level. In the past, closer regional cooperation has been established, for example, through the Visegrad Four, made up of Slovakia, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic.