Visegrad leaders express satisfaction with new EC portfolios

At a summit of the Visegrad Group states in Prague, the prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary praised the outcome of negotiations on the set-up of the new European Commission, saying the V4 had been given important portfolios and would have a strong voice in the European Union.

The Prague summit was also attended by representatives from Western Balkan states, the aim of the joint meeting being to strengthen cooperation between the two regions. The Visegrad group states approved a joint declaration stating support for the EU’s expansion to the Balkans.

Kosovo cancelled participation at the summit in reaction to President Miloš Zeman’s statement in Belgrade that he would try to persuade Czech top officials to retract the country’s recognition of an independent Kosovo.

Prime Minister Babiš said at a press briefing after the talks that he saw no reason to change the Czech Republic’s position on Kosovo, although he was open to debating the matter with the president.