February 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the Visegrád agreement. It’s time to look back and forward. The four countries have made remarkable economic progress in the past 30 years: per capita GDP in the Czech Republic is at around 90 percent of the EU level and higher than in some 'older' EU member states. And Poland has achieved particularly strong and sustained convergence performance since the mid-1990s. However, this has translated neither into rewards for mainstream political forces nor influence at the EU level. So, what is the future for this regional grouping in the EU? Does anything bind the four Central European countries beyond their geography, economic interests and elites? Have they missed the window for constructive influence in the EU, or might the shift of global power eastwards play in their favor? And does the current trend of deepening of Franco-German relations herald a heightening of Europe’s East-West tensions or a fundamental reshuffle of the EU's political coalitions?
Speakers:
Milan Nič
Head of Program, Robert Bosch Center for Central and Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia, DGAP, Berlin
Eszter Zalan
Journalist, EUobserver, Brussels
Richard Grieveson
Deputy Director, wiiw, Vienna
Chair:
Roderick Parks
Head of Program, Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies, DGAP, Berlin
This event is in cooperation with the Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies (wiiw).
Please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email. The panel discussion will be held in English and streamed via YouTube Livestream. Participants will be able to ask questions via sli.do. For any questions, please contact wiiw event team (events@wiiw.ac.at)