Brussels, 11/12/2014 (Agence Europe) - The countries of the Visegrad group (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) want to work together to raise the funding for their infrastructure and interconnection projects, particularly in the area of energy, within the new €315 billion investment plan unveiled at the end of October (see EUROPE 11205).
“We will join efforts to raise money for projects within the new investment plan of the European Commission”, said Czech Deputy Finance Minister Jan Gregor on the sidelines of the Ecofin Council on 9 December. “Already we have had discussions within the Visegrad Four. From the €300 billion package, we see ways that it could help in the region. It is also clear that, within this package, projects that have cross-border effects will have some priorities, so I think Visegrad can be a catalyst in the framework”, stated Slovakian Secretary of State for European Affairs Peter Javorcik this week in the Financial Times of Monday 8 December.
“It is Hungary's goal to see that the stimulus package includes investment projects that would enable the development of the energy corridor”, said Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, following the Visegrad group ministerial meeting in Bratislava on Tuesday 9 December.
To reduce its vulnerability to cuts in supply, the Visegrad group will argue for cross-border gas infrastructure projects as part of the “north-south corridor” in Eastern Europe, running from Poland to Croatia, via the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia. The group also wants to advance projects to improve gas storage capacity, develop LNG terminals, electricity interconnections and oil pipelines.
The leaders of the Visegrad countries are due to meet in summit in Prague on Thursday 11 and Friday 12 December. The meeting has been extended to include Austria and Slovenia. At the heart of discussions are the issues of how to improve transport integration in Central Europe and how to develop cross-border energy and telecommunications infrastructure. The investment package for Europe will, thus, be central to the debate. (EH)