Programme & Priorities

The Slovak one-year presidency programme was approved by the V4 prime ministers at their summit on 24 June 2014, in Budapest, Hungary. Following up the implementation of priority initiatives within the framework of strategic goals laid down by the previous presidencies but also introducing new initiatives, Slovakia intends to focus during its one-year presidency on the following priorities: 

• Consolidation of public finances and boosting economic growth
• EU affairs: to advance coordination of V4 positions in areas of common interest and to establish communication channels with the new Commission and European Parliament
• Energy security
• Transport connections
• Defence cooperation – functioning of the V4 Battlegroup
• Common foreign and security policy – security situation in Ukraine, the countries of the Eastern Partnership and the Western Balkans, maintaining the openness of the enlargement process

New topics:

• Digital agenda
• Implementation of pro-growth measures
• Prevention and combating tax evasions and frauds
• Industrial policy
• Developing of the extended format of the “V4+” cooperation with countries outside the V4 region

In the field of the environment and climate change policies, Slovakia will devote itself to the following priorities:  

• 2030 framework for the EU climate change and energy policy

1. the adoption of the 2030 EU climate change and energy policy framework that would be ambitious as well as also taking the V4 countries´ specifications into account. As the framework adopted at the October European Council reflects exactly these principles, we very much welcome it.

• EU affairs coordination

1. continue with coordinating national positions on proposed legislative and international issues by means of regular consultations with the V4 ministers prior to Environment Council meetings

• Circular economy and sustainable resource management, with its emphasis on waste and water management
• Air package
• Water management

1. the development of an integrated and jointly coordinated approach towards promoting the interests of V4 countries at the supranational level in the context of increased participation among the V4 countries in EU programmes and initiatives, in particular Horizon 2020 and the Danube Strategy

• Forest management and protection of forests
• EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 – the implementation of selected measures

1. Implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive from 2013 to 2015

Official document (Programme& Priorities of the Slovak Presidency of the V4) in PDF (pdf, 730 kB)