Introduction and History

The Visegrad Group was established to enhance further cooperation in a number of fields of common interest of the countries in the Central European region. The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have always been part of one civilization sharing cultural and intellectual values and common roots, which they wish to, preserve and further strengthen.

The Visegrad Group was formed on 15th February 1991 at a meeting of the President of the Czechoslovak Republic, V�clav Havel, the President of the Republic of Poland, Lech Wałęsa, and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, J�zsef Antall.  This high-level meeting in Visegrad, Hungary, created an imaginary historical arch linking the idea of this meeting to the idea of a similar meeting, which took place there in 1335 and was attended by John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia, Charles Robert, King of Hungary, and Casimir III., King of Poland.  The central motif of the two meetings was the desire to intensify mutual cooperation and friendship between the three Central European states.

In the wake of disintegration of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Visegrad Group has since then been comprised of four countries, as both successor countries, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic, are members of the Visegrad Group.