This year’s February the 30th anniversary of the Visegrád Cooperation was commemorated. The busy three decades have brought about many changes in the Member States, but the most important development is undoubtedly that they have been institutionally involved in European and transatlantic cooperation for more than fifteen years. Within the framework of the Western federal system and as members of both the European Union and the NATO, they must find a way to seize the opportunity for regional cooperation, thus contributing to the success of Europe in the awareness of Central European cohesion.
Programme
Greetings
Edit SZILAGYINE BATORFI, Managing Director, International Visegrad Fund
Introduction
Mr Gergely PRŐHLE, Director, Otto von Habsburg Foundation, Institute for Strategic Studies
Speakers
Mr Hubert VÉDRINE, former French Foreign Minister
The V4 from a French Perspective
Hubert Védrine has been one of the longest-serving aid to a President of France, working closely with President Mitterrand for 14 years from 1981 to 1995 first as diplomatic advisor from 1981 to 1988, then as spokesperson from 1988 to 1991, and finally as Secretary-General of the French presidency from 1991 to 1995. He then served as Foreign Minister of France from 1997 to 2002 in the government of Lionel Jospin. He is the author or co-author of more than 19 books. In 2020, he was appointed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to join a group of experts to support his work in a reflection process to further strengthen NATO’s political dimension.
Mr Jerzy BUZEK, MEP, former Polish Prime Minister, former President of the European Parliament
The Impact of Central Europe on European thinking
A Polish politician and Member of the European Parliament from Poland. He has served as Prime Minister of Poland from 1997 to 2001, since being elected to the European Parliament in 2004, he has served as President of the European Parliament between 2009 and 2012. He was elected President of the European Parliament with the largest majority ever becoming the first person from the former Eastern Bloc and the first former Prime Minister since Pierre Pflimlin to gain that position. Jerzy Buzek is Professor of Engineering, Honorary Doctor of the Universities of Dortmund, Seoul and Isparta, and Polytechnics of Silesia and Opole.
Mr János MARTONYI, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Hungary
v4 – Central Europe – Europe
János Martonyi is a Hungarian politician, diplomat, lawyer, university professor, candidate of political science and law awarded the Széchényi Prize and the Hungarian Corvin Chain, who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1998 to 2002 and from 2010 to 2014. He is the author and co-author of numerous books, studies and publications. His field of research is private international law.
The lectures are followed by a discussion.
The conference will be held in Hungarian, English, French and Polish. Simultaneous interpretation will be provided.
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