Visegrad 4 Project
The Visegrád Agreement
Introduction to the Visegrád Agreement
The Visegrád Group, also called Visegrád Four or V4, is an alliance of four central European states – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – aimed to the cooperation and improvement of their European integration.
The Group was born in a summit meeting of the heads of state of government of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland held in the Hungarian castle town of Visegrád on 15th February 1991. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Czech Republic and Slovakia became members; all four members of the Visegrád Group became part of the European Union on 1st May 2004.
The Visegrád Group works in a number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration; in fact, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have always been part of a single civilization sharing cultural and intellectual values and common roots in diverse religious traditions, which they wish to preserve and further strengthen.
The Group aims to encourage cooperation with all countries, in particular its neighbours, its ultimate interest being the democratic development in all parts of Europe. It also wishes to give its contribution to the building of the European security architecture based on effective, functionally complementary and mutually reinforcing cooperation and coordination within existing European and transatlantic institutions. The group will also improve the communication of values in the field of culture, education and science in order to preserve and promote cultural cohesion.
The Group was born in a summit meeting of the heads of state of government of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland held in the Hungarian castle town of Visegrád on 15th February 1991. After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, Czech Republic and Slovakia became members; all four members of the Visegrád Group became part of the European Union on 1st May 2004.
The Visegrád Group works in a number of fields of common interest within the all-European integration; in fact, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia have always been part of a single civilization sharing cultural and intellectual values and common roots in diverse religious traditions, which they wish to preserve and further strengthen.
The Group aims to encourage cooperation with all countries, in particular its neighbours, its ultimate interest being the democratic development in all parts of Europe. It also wishes to give its contribution to the building of the European security architecture based on effective, functionally complementary and mutually reinforcing cooperation and coordination within existing European and transatlantic institutions. The group will also improve the communication of values in the field of culture, education and science in order to preserve and promote cultural cohesion.
The Project “V4 Sustainability Agenda”
Information about the project and its objectives
The project “V4 Sustainability Agenda” was born from the cooperation of five organisations belonging to the V4: the Federation of Polish NGO’s – OFOP (Poland), the 1st Slovak Nonprofit Service Center – 1SNSC (Slovakia), the Foundation Forum 2000 (Czech Republic), the Association of Public Benefit Organizations – AVPO (Czech Republic) and the Nonprofit Information and Training Center – NIOK (Hungary). For the last three years these organisations have been cooperating within the NGO Market framework run by Forum 2000 Foundation, bringing them to the development of the “V4 Sustainability Agenda”.
The project aims to secure greater sustainability of civil society in the countries of V4 through the process of developing measures, drafting policies and campaigning for mainstreaming of these in policies and regulation.
The objectives of the project include:
• Reinforcing the partnership of NGOs from the V4 region countries;
• Forming common strategies to improve financial sustainability of NGOs in the V4 region countries;
• Proposing and campaigning for mainstreaming recommendations and measures reinforcing sustainability of the civil society.
The project aims to secure greater sustainability of civil society in the countries of V4 through the process of developing measures, drafting policies and campaigning for mainstreaming of these in policies and regulation.
The objectives of the project include:
• Reinforcing the partnership of NGOs from the V4 region countries;
• Forming common strategies to improve financial sustainability of NGOs in the V4 region countries;
• Proposing and campaigning for mainstreaming recommendations and measures reinforcing sustainability of the civil society.
ENNA participation
ENNA's role in the project
All the organisations involved in the development of the “V4 Sustainability Agenda” are ENNA members.
Our role in that initiative is to provide support raising awareness of the project and its activities. In particular, we inform our network members of the project results and encourage them to enable similar projects. Through ENNA intermediation, the project results won’t remain into V4 boundaries, but they will be spread across Europe also with the aim of gaining support by other stakeholders.
Since our creation, ENNA has supported the initiatives of our members in order to ensure their involvement in the European framework attending the Agreement meetings and providing support to the initiatives of the V4 Group.
As a Network of civil society organisations, we believe that it is important for us to work together in order to benefit ensure an effective mainstreaming of the objectives of our members. We are a link between Europe and the European national civil society associations and our task, among others, is that of supporting civil societies enabling them to achieve their purposes.
Our role in that initiative is to provide support raising awareness of the project and its activities. In particular, we inform our network members of the project results and encourage them to enable similar projects. Through ENNA intermediation, the project results won’t remain into V4 boundaries, but they will be spread across Europe also with the aim of gaining support by other stakeholders.
Since our creation, ENNA has supported the initiatives of our members in order to ensure their involvement in the European framework attending the Agreement meetings and providing support to the initiatives of the V4 Group.
As a Network of civil society organisations, we believe that it is important for us to work together in order to benefit ensure an effective mainstreaming of the objectives of our members. We are a link between Europe and the European national civil society associations and our task, among others, is that of supporting civil societies enabling them to achieve their purposes.
Project Deliverables
Documents resulting from the projects and available from our website
Please, find below a list of publications resulting from the project and made available in our resource centre:
- V4 - Sustainability Agenda leaflet
V4 - 'Make Your European Year' - A booklet for local organisations to take advantage of the opportunities provided by European Years
- V4 - Sustainability Agenda leaflet
V4 - 'Make Your European Year' - A booklet for local organisations to take advantage of the opportunities provided by European Years
