The end of the Visegrad 4 Group – Orbán is alone

A couple of weeks ago in Prague, the prime ministers of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic declared that they would oppose the European Commission’s plan to redistribute 120,000 refugees across the European Union. They resolutely rejected the proposed quota system.

The Czech Republic hosted the meeting as current president of the Visegrad 4 Group (V4).

Polish Prime Minister Ewa Kopacz stated that refugee quotas would attract further refugees. Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said that the refugee quotas do not address the main issue; the key to the migration crisis is the situation in the countries like Syria and Libya. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico rejected criticism of the V4 for its attitude toward the refugees. “I reject…the moral issues addressed to the governments of Slovakia and other V4 countries for their efforts to strictly protect the Schengen external borders,” he said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was beaming. Hungary deeply appreciated the solidarity expressed by the Czechs, Slovaks and Poles. This was a major victory for him; the V4 countries solidly stood behind him. Or did they?

 V4 Prime Ministers in Prague - Did they have an agreement?

V4 Prime Ministers in Prague – Did they have an agreement?

When the EU interior ministers recently voted on the proposed plan the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary voted against the mandatory refugee quotas as agreed to at the V4 meeting. And Poland?

While earlier they vehemently opposed it, now Poland voted for it, leaving the three smaller V4 countries behind. Poland is bigger than the other three together.

In the meantime, the Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia formed new alliances and are coordinating migration policy with Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann. Hungary’s relationship with Austria is strained; they recently called Mr. Faymann a liar.

Faymann, Fico and Sobotka are happier without Orbán.

Faymann, Fico and Sobotka are happier without Orbán.

This is the end of the Visegrad 4 Group. Poland doesn’t want to be part of it anymore, and the Czechs and Slovaks would rather partner with “liar” Austria. This leaves Hungary as the odd man out. Viktor Orbán is alone; his diplomacy hit a dead-end.

Hungary has no friends left in the region.

György Lázár

Related: See HFP’s earlier piece on the possibility of a new regional alliance in Central Europe, without Hungary.

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