PM calls for closer cooperation within Visegrad Group

On an official visit to Poland, the Czech Prime Minister Stanislav Gross called for closer cooperation within the Visegrad Group. The Visegrad group is a loose alliance of central and east European states established after the fall of communism, which later became instrumental in helping its members to meet the EU criteria for membership. During a meeting with his Polish counterpart Marek Belka in Warsaw, Mr. Gross argued that if the new EU members coordinated their policy more effectively they could achieve more. The two prime ministers also discussed the possibility of further EU enlargement to include Turkey. Mr. Gross said he was convinced that Turkey had a future in Europe if it could meet EU criteria.