On EU enlargement, the four presidents stressed that the accession process should remain fair, rigorous and predictable, with progress and concrete reforms serving as the basis for evaluating candidate countries.
BRATISLAVA, Nov. 5 (Xinhua) -- The presidents of the Visegrad Four (V4) countries reaffirmed their commitment to EU enlargement, continued support for Ukraine and enhanced European energy security at the V4 presidential summit in Trencin in western Slovakia, the News Agency of the Slovak Republic (TASR) reported on Thursday.
The summit was hosted by Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, with Czech President Petr Pavel, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Hungarian President Andras Baka in attendance. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also joined the meeting, which was held in an expanded format.
On EU enlargement, the four presidents stressed that the accession process should remain fair, rigorous and predictable, with progress and concrete reforms serving as the basis for evaluating candidate countries. Drawing on their own experience of EU accession, the V4 countries expressed their readiness to assist candidate states through practical cooperation and the International Visegrad Fund.
Regarding Ukraine, the leaders underlined the importance of maintaining political, financial, humanitarian, economic and military assistance.
Energy security and affordability were also high on the summit agenda. The leaders stressed that high energy prices posed a challenge to Europe's competitiveness and called for coordinated measures at both EU and national levels.
They advocated a combination of immediate support measures and long-term solutions, including greater investment in energy infrastructure, cross-border interconnectors and energy storage facilities. The presidents underlined that affordable, secure and reliable energy supplies were essential to maintaining Europe's economic competitiveness.
"We're convinced that EU enlargement and support for Ukraine, as well as affordable and secure energy, are interlinked strategic priorities," the presidents stressed in the declaration. ■
