Position of the Countries of the Visegrad Group in Conditions of the Worsening European Migration Crisis

Abstract

Migration challenges facing the EU aggravated many internal contradictions of the union. The Visegrad Group and its actually common policy in relation to refugees is a reflection of a part of current processes within the EU. Although formal institutions are not formed, the countries of the V4 are regulating migration questions on a regional level involving the neighboring countries during more than two years. The article is devoted to a research of the Visegrad Group’s actions in conditions of the European migration crisis that includes participation in pan-European measures to tackle refugee’s inflow and initiatives of the Visegrad Group itself and its member countries. Although Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic are affected differently by the migration crisis, all countries were able to develop a common position in relation to inflow of refugees. The key position of the countries became a rejection of the European resettlement scheme and quota allocation. So far, despite the pressure from the European Commission and the criticism from several international organizations the V4 does not intend to take part in the quota system. The current migration crisis did not cause disagreement and weakening of the Visegrad Group, as several experts sometime say. On the contrary, the existing challenges gave an opportunity to this sub-regional group to be more heard at the EU level. Slovakia’s presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2016 played a part in this process, in which Slovakia tried to transfer ideas of the sub-regional grouping to an all-European level. The article provides a substantiation of the Visegrad Group’s vision of migration problems based on both socio-economic and political factors. It is possible to single out the orientation in the immigration policy mainly not in the countries of Africa and the Middle East, where the main flow of refugees is coming from. The lower level of socio-economic development of the V4’s countries compared to others members of the EU makes the Visegrad Group into transit territory. The political forces are important also, which currently head the countries of the Visegrad Group and are opponents of mass migration.