View source for Organization:Visegrád Group

{{Infobox Geopolitical organization
| linking_name = The Visegrád Group
| symbol_type = The group's logo, representing the relative positions of the four countries' capital cities
| image_symbol = Visegrád Group logo.svg
| symbol_width = 300px
| image_map = Visegrad group countries.svg
| map_caption = {{Leftlegend|#003399|Visegrád Group countries}}{{Leftlegend|#2782bb|Other member states of the European Union}}
| map_width = 300px
| membership = {{unbulleted list|{{CZE}}|{{HUN}}|{{POL}}|{{SVK}}}}
| leader_title1 = Rotating Presidency
| leader_name1 = Czech Republic
| established = 15 February 1991
| area_km2 = 533,615
| population_estimate = {{increase}} 63,845,789<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tps00001&plugin=1 |title=Population on 1 January |website=ec.europa.eu/eurostat |publisher=Eurostat |access-date=25 October 2019}}</ref>
| population_estimate_year = 2019
| population_density_km2 = 120.0
| GDP_PPP_year = 2019
| GDP_PPP = {{increase}} $2.226 trillion<ref name="WEOV4">{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=41&pr.y=21&sy=2017&ey=2021&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=964%2C935%2C936%2C944&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |title=World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019 |website=IMF.org |publisher=[[Organization:International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund]] |access-date=10 September 2019}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_rank = 13th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita = {{increase}} $34,865<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/>
| GDP_nominal_year = 2019
| GDP_nominal = {{increase}} $1.118 trillion<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/>
| GDP_nominal_rank =
| GDP_nominal_per_capita = {{increase}} $17,511<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/>
| official_website = {{Official URL}}
| demonym =
| area_rank =
| HDI =
| HDI_year =
| today =
| conventional_long_name = Visegrád Group
}}
The '''Visegrád Group''', '''Visegrád Four''', or '''V4''', is a cultural and political alliance of four [[Place:Central Europe|Central Europe]]an countries<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.visegradgroup.eu/about | title=The Visegrad Group: The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia &#124; About the Visegrad Group| date=15 August 2006}}</ref>{{spaced ndash}}the [[Place:Czech Republic|Czech Republic]], Hungary, {{wipe|Poland}} and Slovakia, that are members of the [[Social:European Union|European Union]] (EU) and NATO{{spaced ndash}}for the purposes of advancing military, cultural, economic and energy cooperation with one another along with furthering their integration in the EU.<ref name="The Bratislava Declaration of 2011">{{cite web|title=The Bratislava Declaration of the Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic, the Republic of Hungary, the Republic of Poland and the Slovak Republic on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Visegrád Group|url=http://www.visegradgroup.eu/2011/the-bratislava|website=Official web portal of the Visegrád Group|date=17 February 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140824082057/http://www.visegradgroup.eu/2011/the-bratislava|archivedate=24 August 2014}}</ref>

The Group traces its origins to the summit meetings of leaders from [[Place:Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovakia]], Hungary, and Poland held in the Hungarian castle-town of Visegrád<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/17/world/three-eastern-european-leaders-confer-gingerly.html|title=Three Eastern European Leaders Confer, Gingerly|last=Engelberg |first=Stephen|date=17 February 1991|work={{wipe|The New York Times}}|accessdate=11 April 2009}}</ref> on 15 February 1991. Visegrád was chosen as the location for the 1991 meeting as an intentional allusion to the medieval Congress of Visegrád in 1335 between John I of Bohemia, Charles I of Hungary and Casimir III of Poland.

After the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became independent members of the group, thus increasing the number of members from three to four. All four members of the Visegrád Group joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.

==Historical background==
The name of the Group is derived, and the place of meeting selected, from the 1335 Congress of Visegrád held by the Bohemian (Czech), Polish, and Hungarian rulers in Visegrád. Charles I of Hungary, Casimir III of Poland, and John of Bohemia agreed to create new commercial routes to bypass the city of [[Place:Vienna|Vienna]], a staple port (which required goods to be off-loaded and offered for sale in the city), and to obtain easier access to other European markets. The recognition of Czech sovereignty over the Duchy of Silesia was also confirmed. The second Congress took place in 1339, where it was decided that after the death of Casimir III of Poland, the son of Charles I of Hungary, Louis I of Hungary, would become King of Poland provided that Casimir did not have a son.<ref name="archivum2.szabadsag.ro">[http://archivum2.szabadsag.ro/szabadsag/servlet/szabadsag/template/print,PrintScreen.vm/id/58129/mainarticle/false Szabadság – szabadsag.ro – A visegrádi négyek és az új évezred kihívásai – 19 May 2011]</ref>

From the 1500s, large parts of the present-day countries became part of or were influenced by the Vienna-based Habsburg Monarchy, until after the end of [[Social:World War I|World War I]] and the dissolution of the Habsburg-ruled [[Place:Austria-Hungary|Austria-Hungary]]. After [[Social:World War II|World War II]], the countries became satellite states of the [[Place:Soviet Union|Soviet Union]] as the Polish People's Republic, the Hungarian People's Republic and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. In 1989, the Berlin wall was demolished and after the Fall of Communism in [[Place:Central and Eastern Europe|Central and Eastern Europe]], three countries had abandoned Communism and embraced capitalism and democracy.  In December 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. In between, the Visegrád Group was established on 15 February 1991.<ref name="archivum2.szabadsag.ro"/>

==Economies==
[[File:Foundation of the Visegrád Group.tiff|300px|thumb|right|The Visegrád Group signing ceremony in February 1991]]
All four nations in the Visegrád Group are high-income countries with a very high [[Engineering:Human Development Index|Human Development Index]]. V4 countries have enjoyed more or less steady [[Finance:Economic growth|economic growth]] for over a century.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dev3.cepr.org/meets/wkcn/1/1699/papers/Broadberry_Klein.pdf|title=Aggregate And Per Capita GDP in Europe, 1870–2000: Continental, Regional and National Data With Changing Boundaries, Stephen Broadberry University of Warwick|date=27 October 2011|accessdate=7 September 2013|website=Dev3.cepr.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131030201511/http://dev3.cepr.org/meets/wkcn/1/1699/papers/Broadberry_Klein.pdf|archive-date=30 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, Slovakia adopted the euro as its official currency and is the only member in the Group to do so.

If counted as a single nation state, the Visegrád Group would be the fifth largest economy in Europe and the 12th largest in the world.<ref>European Union. [http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/upload/documents/Commissioner/Speech-Visegrad-4-Ministerial-meeting-on-Cohesion_24062014.pdf "The Visegrád Group – Growth Engine of Europe"], international conference Speech by Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for Regional Policy. Budapest: 24 June 2014</ref>

Based on gross domestic product per capita (PPP) estimated figures for the year 2020, the most developed country in the grouping is the Czech Republic (US$40,858 per capita), followed by Slovakia (US$38,321 per capita), Hungary (US$35,941 per capita) and Poland (US$35,651 per capita). The average GDP (PPP) in 2019 for the entire group is estimated at around US$34,865.

Within the EU, the V4 countries are pro-[[Physics:Nuclear power|nuclear-power]], and are seeking to expand or found (in the case of Poland) a nuclear-power industry. They have sought to counter what they see as an anti-nuclear-power bias within the EU, believing their countries would benefit from nuclear power.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/world/Off_the_Wire/2013-10/14/content_30291509.htm |title=Visegrád group backs nuclear energy |publisher=China.org.cn |date=14 October 2013 |accessdate=1 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Dont_impede_our_nuclear_V4_tells_EU-1510138.html |title=Don't impede our nuclear, V4 tells EU |publisher=World-nuclear-news.org |date=15 October 2013 |accessdate=1 May 2016}}</ref>

===Czech Republic===
[[File:Prague skyline view.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Prague, Czech Republic]]
The economy of the Czech Republic is the group's second largest (GDP PPP of US$432.346 billion<ref name=imf2>{{cite web |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=36&pr.y=17&sy=2017&ey=2021&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=935&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |title=V4 |publisher=International Monetary Fund |accessdate=17 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819141428/http://https/ |archive-date=19 August 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> total, ranked 36th in the world).

Within the V4, the Czech Republic has the highest [[Engineering:Human Development Index|Human Development Index]],<ref name="UNDP2019">{{cite web|url=http://www.hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr2019.pdf |title= Human Development Report 2019 – "Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century"|publisher=HDRO (Human Development Report Office) [[Organization:United Nations Development Programme|United Nations Development Programme]]|pages=22–25 |accessdate=9 December 2019}}</ref> Human Capital Index,<ref>{{cite web|title=Human Capital Index 2018|url=https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/30498/33252.pdf?sequence=5&isAllowed=y}}</ref> nominal GDP per capita<ref name="GDP IMF nominal">{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=50&pr.y=11&sy=2019&ey=2019&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512%2C668%2C914%2C672%2C612%2C946%2C614%2C137%2C311%2C546%2C213%2C674%2C911%2C676%2C314%2C548%2C193%2C556%2C122%2C678%2C912%2C181%2C313%2C867%2C419%2C682%2C513%2C684%2C316%2C273%2C913%2C868%2C124%2C921%2C339%2C948%2C638%2C943%2C514%2C686%2C218%2C688%2C963%2C518%2C616%2C728%2C223%2C836%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C962%2C156%2C142%2C626%2C449%2C628%2C564%2C228%2C565%2C924%2C283%2C233%2C853%2C632%2C288%2C636%2C293%2C634%2C566%2C238%2C964%2C662%2C182%2C960%2C359%2C423%2C453%2C935%2C968%2C128%2C922%2C611%2C714%2C321%2C862%2C243%2C135%2C248%2C716%2C469%2C456%2C253%2C722%2C642%2C942%2C643%2C718%2C939%2C724%2C734%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C726%2C646%2C199%2C648%2C733%2C915%2C184%2C134%2C524%2C652%2C361%2C174%2C362%2C328%2C364%2C258%2C732%2C656%2C366%2C654%2C144%2C336%2C146%2C263%2C463%2C268%2C528%2C532%2C923%2C944%2C738%2C176%2C578%2C534%2C537%2C536%2C742%2C429%2C866%2C433%2C369%2C178%2C744%2C436%2C186%2C136%2C925%2C343%2C869%2C158%2C746%2C439%2C926%2C916%2C466%2C664%2C112%2C826%2C111%2C542%2C298%2C967%2C927%2C443%2C846%2C917%2C299%2C544%2C582%2C941%2C474%2C446%2C754%2C666%2C698&s=NGDPDPC&grp=0&a= |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2019 |work=[[Finance:World Economic Outlook|World Economic Outlook]]|publisher=[[Organization:International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund]]  |date=October 2019 |accessdate=1 January 2020 }}</ref> as well as GDP at purchasing power parity per capita.<ref name="IMF PPP">[https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2018&ey=2018&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=55&pr1.y=9&c=512%2C946%2C914%2C137%2C612%2C546%2C614%2C962%2C311%2C674%2C213%2C676%2C911%2C548%2C193%2C556%2C122%2C678%2C912%2C181%2C313%2C867%2C419%2C682%2C513%2C684%2C316%2C273%2C913%2C868%2C124%2C921%2C339%2C948%2C638%2C943%2C514%2C686%2C218%2C688%2C963%2C518%2C616%2C728%2C223%2C836%2C516%2C558%2C918%2C138%2C748%2C196%2C618%2C278%2C624%2C692%2C522%2C694%2C622%2C142%2C156%2C449%2C626%2C564%2C628%2C565%2C228%2C283%2C924%2C853%2C233%2C288%2C632%2C293%2C636%2C566%2C634%2C964%2C238%2C182%2C662%2C359%2C960%2C453%2C423%2C968%2C935%2C922%2C128%2C714%2C611%2C862%2C321%2C135%2C243%2C716%2C248%2C456%2C469%2C722%2C253%2C942%2C642%2C718%2C643%2C724%2C939%2C576%2C644%2C936%2C819%2C961%2C172%2C813%2C132%2C726%2C646%2C199%2C648%2C733%2C915%2C184%2C134%2C524%2C652%2C361%2C174%2C362%2C328%2C364%2C258%2C732%2C656%2C366%2C654%2C734%2C336%2C144%2C263%2C146%2C268%2C463%2C532%2C528%2C944%2C923%2C176%2C738%2C534%2C578%2C536%2C537%2C429%2C742%2C433%2C866%2C178%2C369%2C436%2C744%2C136%2C186%2C343%2C925%2C158%2C869%2C439%2C746%2C916%2C926%2C664%2C466%2C826%2C112%2C542%2C111%2C967%2C298%2C443%2C927%2C917%2C846%2C544%2C299%2C941%2C582%2C446%2C474%2C666%2C754%2C668%2C698%2C672&s=PPPPC&grp=0&a= World Economic Outlook Database, April 2019], [[Organization:International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund]]. Database updated in April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.</ref>

===Hungary===
[[File:Budapest Parlament Building.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Budapest, Hungary]]
Hungary has the group's third largest economy (total GDP of US$350.000 billion, 53th in the world). Hungary was one of the more developed economies of the Eastern bloc. With about $18 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) since 1989, Hungary has attracted over one-third of all FDI in central and eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union. Of this, about $6 billion came from American companies. Now it is an industrial agricultural state. The main industries are engineering, mechanical engineering (cars, buses), chemical, electrical, textile, and food industries. The services sector accounted for 64% of GDP in 2007 and its role in the Hungarian economy is steadily growing.{{citation needed|date=August 2019}}

The main sectors of Hungarian industry are heavy industry (mining, metallurgy, machine and steel production), energy production, mechanical engineering, chemicals, food industry, and automobile production. The industry is leaning mainly on processing industry and (including construction) accounted for 29.32% of GDP in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.profitline.hu/index.php/hircentrum/hir/130567/link5 |title=Elemzői reakciók az ipari termelési adatra (Analysts' Reaction on Industrial Production Data) |date=7 April 2009 |language=Hungarian |accessdate=18 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227154237/http://profitline.hu/index.php/hircentrum/hir/130567/link5 |archive-date=27 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> The leading industry is machinery, followed by the chemical industry (plastic production, pharmaceuticals), while mining, metallurgy and textile industry seemed to be losing importance in the past two decades. In spite of the significant drop in the last decade, the food industry still contributes up to 14% of total industrial production and amounts to 7–8% of the country's exports.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.itdh.com/engine.aspx?page=Trade_Food_Industry |title=Food Industry |website=Itdh.com |accessdate=18 January 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713065323/http://www.itdh.com/engine.aspx?page=Trade_Food_Industry |archive-date=13 July 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Agriculture accounted for 4.3% of GDP in 2008 and along with the food industry occupied roughly 7.7% of the labor force.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.ksh.hu/pls/ksh/docs/eng/xstadat/xstadat_annual/tabl3_01_02iec.html |title=Value and distribution of gross value added by industries |year=2009 |publisher=Hungarian Central Statistical Office |accessdate=31 December 2009 }}{{dead link|date=August 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://portal.ksh.hu/pls/ksh/docs/eng/xstadat/xstadat_annual/tabl2_01_04iea.html |title=Number of employed persons by industries |year=2009 |publisher=Hungarian Central Statistical Office |accessdate=31 December 2009 }}{{dead link|date=August 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>

Tourism employs nearly 150,000 people and the total income from tourism was 4 billion euros in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://portal.ksh.hu/pls/ksh/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/jeltur/jeltur08t.pdf |title=Táblamelléklet (Tables) |publisher=Hungarian Central Statistical Office|accessdate=18 January 2010}}</ref> One of Hungary's top tourist destinations is Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, with 1.2 million visitors in 2008. The most visited region is Budapest; the Hungarian capital attracted 3.61 million visitors in 2008. Hungary was the world's 24th most visited country in 2011.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf |title=UNWTO World Tourism Barometer |date=January 2013 |publisher=World Tourism Organisation|accessdate=3 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080819191518/http://www.tourismroi.com/Content_Attachments/27670/File_633513750035785076.pdf |archivedate=19 August 2008}}</ref>

===Poland===
[[File:Lotnicza panorama Warszawy.jpg|300px|right|thumb|Warsaw, Poland]]
Poland has the region's largest economy (GDP PPP total of US$1.353 trillion,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2018/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2017&ey=2020&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&pr1.x=48&pr1.y=12&c=964&s=NGDP_RPCH%2CNGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects |access-date=28 April 2018}}</ref> ranked 22nd in the world). According to the {{wipe|United Nations}} and the [[Organization:World Bank|World Bank]], it is a high-income country<ref name="worldbank8">{{cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/about/country-classifications/country-and-lending-groups#High_income|title=Country and Lending Groups &#124; Data|publisher=World Bank|accessdate=9 November 2010}}</ref> with a high quality of life and a very high standard of living.<ref>{{cite web|title=SPI PROGRESS INDEX 2015|url=http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/data/spi|accessdate=16 December 2015|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151217230131/http://www.socialprogressimperative.org/data/spi|archivedate=17 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.numbeo.com/quality-of-life/rankings_by_country.jsp|title=Quality of Life Index by Country 2017 Mid-Year|website=Numbeo.com|accessdate=1 October 2017}}</ref> The Polish economy is the sixth-largest in the EU and one of the fastest-growing economies in Europe, with a yearly growth rate of over 3.0% before the late-2000s recession.  Poland is the only European Union member to have avoided a decline in GDP, and in 2009 created the most GDP growth in the EU. As of December 2009, the Polish economy had not entered recession nor contracted. According to Poland's Central Statistical Office, in 2011 the Polish economic growth rate was 4.3%, the best result in the entire EU. The largest component of its economy is the service sector (67.3%), followed by industry (28.1%) and agriculture (4.6%).  Since increased private investment and EU funding assistance, Poland's infrastructure has developed rapidly.

Poland's main industries are mining, machinery ([[Engineering:Car|car]]s, buses, ships), [[Chemistry:Metallurgy|metallurgy]], chemicals, electrical goods, textiles, and [[Engineering:Food processing|food processing]]. The high-technology and IT sectors are also growing with the help of investors such as [[Company:Google|Google]], [[Company:Toshiba|Toshiba]], [[Company:Dell|Dell]], GE, [[Engineering:LG|LG]], and [[Company:Sharp Corporation|Sharp]].  Poland is a producer of many electronic devices and components.<ref>[http://www.ecoustics.com/electronics/products/new/277485.html Toshiba Invests in a Subsidiary of LG.Philips LCD in Poland]. eCoustics.com (10 October 2006). Retrieved 19 July 2013.</ref>

===Slovakia===
[[File:Bratislava Old Town (3706932185).jpg|300px|right|thumb|Bratislava, Slovakia]]
The smallest, but still considerably powerful V4 economy is that of Slovakia (GDP of US$209.186 billion total, 68th in the world).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm|title=IMF – International Monetary Fund Home Page|website=Imf.org}}</ref>

==Demographics==
The population is 64,301,710 inhabitants, which would rank 22nd largest in the world and 4th in Europe (very similar in size to France, Italy or the UK) if V4 were a single country.
Most people live in Poland (38 million),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/PUBL_lu_nps2011_wyniki_nsp2011_22032012.pdf|title=Wayback Machine|date=16 January 2013|accessdate=1 October 2017|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116214520/http://www.stat.gov.pl/cps/rde/xbcr/gus/PUBL_lu_nps2011_wyniki_nsp2011_22032012.pdf|archivedate=16 January 2013}}</ref> followed by the Czech Republic (nearly 11 million),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/czech-republic-population/ |title=Czech Republic Population 2016 |publisher=World Population Review |accessdate=1 May 2016}}</ref> Hungary (nearly 10 million)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ksh.hu/docs/hun/xftp/idoszaki/nepsz2011/nepsz_orsz_2011.pdf|title=2011. ÉVI NÉPSZÁMLÁLÁS : 3. Országos adatok|website=Ksh.hu|accessdate=1 October 2017}}</ref> and Slovakia (5.5 million).<ref>{{cite web |url=https://slovak.statistics.sk/wps/wcm/connect/1f62189f-cc70-454d-9eab-17bdf5e1dc4a/Tab_10_Obyvatelstvo_SR_podla_narodnosti_scitanie_2011_2001_1991.pdf?MOD=AJPERES |title=Archived copy |accessdate=21 February 2016 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305121029/https://slovak.statistics.sk/wps/wcm/connect/1f62189f-cc70-454d-9eab-17bdf5e1dc4a/Tab_10_Obyvatelstvo_SR_podla_narodnosti_scitanie_2011_2001_1991.pdf?MOD=AJPERES |archivedate=5 March 2016}}</ref>

===V4 capitals===
* [[Place:Warsaw|Warsaw]] (Poland) – 1,790,658 inhabitants (metro – 3,105,883)
* [[Place:Budapest|Budapest]] (Hungary) – 1,779,361 inhabitants (metro – 3,303,786)
* [[Place:Prague|Prague]] (Czech Republic) – 1,318,688 inhabitants (metro – 2,647,308)
* [[Place:Bratislava|Bratislava]] (Slovakia) – 432,801 inhabitants (metro – 659,578)

==Current leaders==
<gallery>
File:A Babiš Praha 2015.JPG|{{flagicon|CZE}} '''[[Place:Czech Republic|Czech Republic]]'''<br />Andrej Babiš<br />Prime Minister of the Czech Republic
File:Viktor Orbán 2018.jpg|{{flagicon|HUN}} '''Hungary'''<br />Viktor Orbán<br />Prime Minister of Hungary
File:Mateusz Morawiecki Prezes Rady Ministrów (cropped).jpg|{{flagicon|POL}} '''{{wipe|Poland}}'''<br />Mateusz Morawiecki<br />Prime Minister of Poland
File:Igor Matovič May 2020.png|{{flagicon|Slovakia}} '''Slovakia'''<br />Igor Matovič<br />Prime Minister of Slovakia
</gallery>

==Initiatives==
[[File:Visegrád Fund-Вишеградски фонд.jpg|300px|thumb|Visegrád Fund building in Bratislava.]]

===International Visegrad Fund===
The International Visegrad Fund (IVF) is the only institutionalized form of regional cooperation of the Visegrad Group countries.

The main aim of the fund is to strengthen the ties among people and institutions in Central and Eastern Europe through giving support to regional non-governmental initiatives.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

===Defence Cooperation===
====Visegrád Battlegroup====
On 12 May 2011, Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said that Poland will lead a new EU Battlegroup of the Visegrád Group. The decision was made at the V4 defence ministers' meeting in Levoča, Slovakia, and the battlegroup became operational and was placed on standby in the first half of 2016. The ministers also agreed that the V4 militaries should hold regular exercises under the auspices of the NATO Response Force, with the first such exercise to be held in Poland in 2013. The battlegroup included members of V4 and {{wipe|Ukraine}}.<ref>[http://gazeta.dt.ua/POLITICS/vishegradskiy_maydanchik_ukrayini.html Visegrad grounds of Ukraine]. Mirror Weekly. 13 May 2011 (in Ukrainian)</ref>
Another V4 EU Battlegroup will be formed in the second semester of 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.visegradgroup.eu/calendar/2014/bratislava-declaration |title=Bratislava Declaration of the Visegrád Group Heads of Government on the Deepening V4 Defence Cooperation |work=Visegradgroup.eu |publisher=Visegrád Group |date=9 December 2015 |accessdate=10 July 2015}}</ref>

====Other cooperation areas====
On 14 March 2014, in response to the 2014 Russian military intervention in Ukraine, a pact was signed for a joint military body within the European Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nasdaq.com/article/visegrad-four-countries-sign-military-pact-20140314-00126 |title=Today's Stock Market News and Analysis |publisher=NASDAQ |accessdate=1 May 2016}}</ref>
Subsequent Action Plan defines these other cooperation areas:<ref>{{cite web|title=Visegrad Group Defence Cooperation|url=http://www.visegradgroup.eu/about/cooperation/visegrad-group-defence|website=Visegrad Group|accessdate=30 October 2017|date=9 December 2014}}</ref>
* Defence Planning 
* Joint Training and Exercises
* Joint Procurement and Defence Industry
* Military Education
* Joint Airspace Protection
* Coordination of Positions
* Communication Strategy

===Visegrad Patent Institute===
{{main|Organization:Visegrad Patent Institute}}

Created by an agreement signed in Bratislava on 26 February 2015, the Institute aims at operating as an International Searching Authority (ISA) and International Preliminary Examining Authorities (IPEA) under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) as from 1 July 2016.

==Neighbor relations==

===European Union===
All members of the V4 are Member states of the European Union since the 2004 enlargement of the European Union and are also members of the Schengen Area since 2007.

====Austria====
[[File:Austerlitz-Format.svg|300px|thumb|The countries participating in the Austerlitz format. (From North to South: Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria.)]]
Austria is the Visegrád Group's southwestern neighbor. The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Austria launched the Austerlitz format for the three countries in early 2015. The first meeting in this format took place on 29 January 2015 in Slavkov u Brna (Austerlitz) in the Czech Republic.
Petr Drulák, the deputy minister of the Czech Republic, emphasized that the Austerlitz format was not a competition, but an addition to the Visegrád group.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://derstandard.at/2000015574633/Oesterreich-Tschechien-Slowakei-Gemeinsame-Politik-im-Austerlitz-Format |title=Österreich, Tschechien, Slowakei: Gemeinsame Politik im Austerlitz-Format |last=Schubert |first=Gerald |date=11 April 2015 |newspaper=Der Standard|language=de}}</ref>

The leadership of the Freedom Party of Austria, the junior partner in the former Austrian coalition government, has expressed its willingness to closely cooperate with the Visegrád Group.<ref>Stephan Löwenstein. [https://www.faz.net/aktuell/politik/ausland/fpoe-will-oesterreich-in-die-visegrad-gruppe-bringen-15245016.html Zwischen Wien und Budapest]. ''[[Social:Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung|Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung]]'' Published on 15 October 2017.</ref> Chancellor and leader of the Austrian People's Party Sebastian Kurz wants to act as bridge builder between the east and the west.<ref name="NewEurope">{{cite news|last1=Alexe|first1=Dan|title=Kurz and Orban want to clip Brussels' power, but Austria will not join Visegrad Four|url=https://www.neweurope.eu/article/kurz-and-orban-want-to-limit-the-security-competences-of-brussels-but-austria-will-not-join-visegrad-group/|accessdate=2 February 2018|work=New Europe|date=1 February 2018}}</ref>

====Germany====
Germany, Visegrad Group's western neighbor, is a key economic partner of the group and vice versa. As of 2018, Germany’s trade and investment flows with the V4 are greater than with China.<ref>[https://www.economist.com/europe/2018/06/14/germanys-troubled-relations-with-the-visegrad-states-show-the-limits-to-its-power Germany’s troubled relations with the Visegrad states show the limits to its power]. ''[[Finance:The Economist|The Economist]]''. 14 June 2018.</ref>

===Non-EU===
Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia border {{wipe|Ukraine}} on their east. Poland additionally borders {{wipe|Belarus}} and {{wipe|Russia}}n Kaliningrad to the northeast. The Czech Republic is fully surrounded by other EU members. Hungary borders Serbia on the south, which is a candidate for EU accession.

====Ukraine====
{{wipe|Ukraine}}, an eastern neighbor of the V4 that is not a member of the EU, is one of largest recipients of the International Visegrad Fund support and receives assistance from the Visegrad Group for its aspirations to European integration.<ref>Claudia Patricolo. [https://emerging-europe.com/in-brief/ukraine-looks-to-revive-v4-membership-hopes-as-slovakia-takes-over-presidency/ Ukraine looks to revive V4 membership hopes as Slovakia takes over presidency]. emerging-europe.com. 29 July 2018.</ref> Ukraine joined the [[Finance:Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area|Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area]] with the EU and therefore with the V4 in 2016.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-34842246 EU-Ukraine free trade 'set for 2016' – President Poroshenko]. BBC News. 17 November 2015.</ref>

==Country comparison==
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"
! Name !!rowspan=21| !!width="325"|'''[[Place:Czech Republic|Czech Republic]]'''!!rowspan=21| !!width="325"|'''Hungary''' !!rowspan=21| !!width="325"|'''{{wipe|Poland}}'''!!rowspan=21| !!width="325"|'''Slovakia''' 
|-
! Official name !! Czech Republic ({{smaller|Česká republika}}) !! Hungary ({{smaller|Magyarország}})  !! Republic of Poland ({{smaller|Rzeczpospolita Polska}}) !! Slovak Republic ({{smaller|Slovenská republika}})
|-
| '''Coat of arms'''
| style="text-align:center" | [[File:Coat of arms of the Czech Republic.svg|50px]]
| style="text-align:center" | [[File:Coat of arms of Hungary.svg|50px]]
| style="text-align:center" | [[File:Herb Polski.svg|50px]]
| style="text-align:center" | [[File:Coat of arms of Slovakia.svg|50px]]
|-
| '''Flag'''
| style="text-align:center" | {{Flagicon|Czech Republic|size=70px|text=none}}
| style="text-align:center" | {{Flagicon|Hungary|size=70px|text=none}}
| style="text-align:center" | {{Flagicon|Poland|size=70px|text=none}} 
| style="text-align:center" | {{Flagicon|Slovakia|size=70px|text=none}}
|-
| '''Population'''
| {{increase}} 10,649,800 (2019)<ref name="PopV4">{{cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tps00001&plugin=1 |title=Population on 1 January |website=ec.europa.eu/eurostat |publisher=Eurostat |access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref>
| {{decrease}} 9,772,756 (2019)<ref name="PopV4"/>
| {{decrease}} 37,972,812 (2019)<ref name="PopV4"/>
| {{increase}} 5,450,421 (2019)<ref name="PopV4"/>
|-
| '''Area'''
| 78,866&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (30, 450 sq mi)
| 93,028&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (35,919 sq mi)
| 312,696&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (120,733 sq mi) 
| 49,035&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> (18,933 sq mi) 
|-
| '''Population Density'''
| 134/km<sup>2</sup> (347.1/sq mi) 
| 105.9/km<sup>2</sup> (274.3/sq mi)
| 123/km<sup>2</sup> (318.6/sq mi) 
| 111/km<sup>2</sup> (287.5/sq mi)
|-
| '''Government'''
| [[Earth:Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Social:Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] constitutional republic
| [[Earth:Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Social:Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] constitutional republic
| [[Earth:Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Social:Semi-presidential system|semi-presidential]] constitutional republic
| [[Earth:Unitary state|Unitary]] [[Social:Parliamentary system|parliamentary]] constitutional republic
|-
| '''Capital'''
|rowspan="2"| {{Coat of arms|Prague}} – 1,318,688 (2,647,308 Metro)
|rowspan="2"| {{Coat of arms|Budapest}} – 1,779,361 (3,303,786 Metro)
|rowspan="2"| {{Coat of arms|Warsaw}} – 1,783,321 (3,100,844 Metro)
|rowspan="2"| {{Coat of arms|Bratislava}} – 429,564 (659,578 Metro)
|-
| '''Largest City'''
|-
| '''Official language'''
| [[Social:Czech language|Czech]] (''de facto'' and ''de jure'')
| [[Social:Hungarian language|Hungarian]] (''de facto'' and ''de jure'')
| [[Social:Polish language|Polish]] (''de facto'' and ''de jure'')
| [[Social:Slovak language|Slovak]] (''de facto'' and ''de jure'')
|-
|'''First Leader'''
| Bořivoj I, Duke of Bohemia (first historically documented Duke of Bohemia, 867–889)
| Grand Prince Árpád (traditional first leader of tribal principality, 895–907){{-}}King St. Stephen (of Christian kingdom, 997–1038)
| Duke Mieszko I (traditional first leader of unified state, 960–992)
| Pribina (traditional ancestor, ?–861)
|-
| '''Current Head of Government'''
| Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO 2011; 2017–present)
| Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz; 1998–2002, 2010–present)
| Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (Law and Justice; 2017–present)
| Prime Minister Igor Matovič (Ordinary People (Slovakia); 2020–present)
|-
|'''Current Head of State'''
|President [[Biography:Miloš Zeman|Miloš Zeman]] (Party of Civic Rights; 2013–present)
|President János Áder (Fidesz; 2012–present)
|President Andrzej Duda (Law and Justice; 2015–present)
|President Zuzana Čaputová (Progressive Slovakia; 2019–present)
|-
| '''Main religions'''
| 44.7% undeclared, 34.5% irreligious, 10.5% Roman Catholic, 2% other Christians, 0.7% others
| 38.9% Catholicism {{small|(Roman, Greek)}}, 13.8% Protestantism {{small|(Reformed, Evangelical)}}, 0.2% Orthodox, 0.1% Jewish, 1.7% other, 16.7% [[Religion:Irreligion|Non-religious]], 1.5% [[Philosophy:Atheism|Atheism]], 27.2% undeclared
| 87.58% Roman Catholic, 7.10% Opting out of answer, 1.28% Other faiths, 2.41% Irreligious, 1.63% Not stated
| 62% Roman Catholic, 5.9% Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession in Slovakia, 3.8% Slovak Greek Catholic Church, 1.8% Reformed churches, 0.9% Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church, 0.3% Jehovah's Witnesses, 0.2% Evangelical Methodist, 10.6% not specified, 13.4% no religion
|-
| '''Ethnic groups'''
| 64.3% Czechs, 25.3% unspecified, 5% Moravians, 1.4% Slovaks, 1.0% Ukrainians, 3.0% Other
| 83.7% Hungarian, 3.1% Roma, 1.3% German, 14.7% not declared
| 98% Poles, 2% other or undeclared
| 80.7% Slovaks, 8.5% Hungarians, 2.0% Roma, 0.6% Czechs, 0.6% Rusyns, 0.1% Ukrainians, 0.1% Germans, 0.1% Poles, 0.1% Moravians, 7.2% unspecified
|-
| '''[[Finance:List of countries by GDP (nominal)|GDP (nominal)]]'''
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $245.226 billion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4">{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook Database, October 2019 |url=https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=46&pr.y=18&sy=2017&ey=2021&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=964%2C935%2C936%2C944&s=NGDPD%2CPPPGDP%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPPC&grp=0&a= |website=IMF.org |publisher=[[Organization:International Monetary Fund|International Monetary Fund]] |accessdate=2 April 2020}}</ref> ([[Finance:List of countries by GDP (nominal)|45th]])
*{{increase}} $23,113 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (36th)}}
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $161.182 billion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> ([[Finance:List of countries by GDP (nominal)|54th]])
*{{increase}} $16,484 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (47th)}}
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $585.816 billion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> ([[Finance:List of countries by GDP (nominal)|21st]])
*{{increase}} $15,426 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (56th)}}
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $106.573 billion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> ([[Finance:List of countries by GDP (nominal)|60th]])
*{{increase}} $19,579 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (40th)}}
|-
| '''External debt (nominal)'''
| $77.786 billion (2019 Q2) – 31.6 [[Finance:Debt-to-GDP ratio|% of GDP]]
| $112.407 billion (2019 Q2) – 66.6 [[Finance:Debt-to-GDP ratio|% of GDP]]
| $281.812 billion (2019 Q2) – 47.5 [[Finance:Debt-to-GDP ratio|% of GDP]]
| $51.524 billion (2019 Q2) – 46.9 [[Finance:Debt-to-GDP ratio|% of GDP]]
|-
| '''GDP (PPP)'''
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $396.176 billion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (45th)
*{{increase}} $37,340 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (34th)}}
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $312.052 billion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (53rd)
*{{increase}} $31,914 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (40th)}}
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $1.215 trillion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (23rd)
*{{increase}} $32,005 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (41st)}}
| {{plainlist|
*{{increase}} $191.252 billion (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (68th)
*{{increase}} $35,136 per capita (2018)<ref name="IMFWEOV4"/> (38th)}}
|-
| '''[[Finance:List of circulating currencies|Currency]]'''
| [[Finance:Czech koruna|Czech koruna]] (Kč) – CZK
| [[Finance:Hungarian forint|Hungarian forint]] (Ft) – HUF
| [[Finance:Polish złoty|Polish złoty]] (zł) – PLN
| [[Finance:Euro|Euro]] (€) – EUR
|-
| '''Human Development Index'''
| {{plainlist|0.891 {{color|darkgreen|very high}}<ref name="HDIV4">{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/indicators/137506 |title=Human Development Index (HDI) |website=hdr.undp.org |publisher=HDRO (Human Development Report Office) [[Organization:United Nations Development Programme|United Nations Development Programme]] |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref> 26th
*0.850 {{color|darkgreen|very high}} IHDI<ref name="IHDIV4">{{cite web |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-3-inequality-adjusted-human-development-index-ihdi |title=Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) |website=hdr.undp.org |publisher=HDRO (Human Development Report Office) [[Organization:United Nations Development Programme|United Nations Development Programme]] |access-date=11 December 2019}}</ref> 13th}}
| {{plainlist|0.845 {{color|darkgreen|very high}}<ref name="HDIV4"/> 43rd
*0.777 {{color|green|high}} IHDI<ref name="IHDIV4"/> 30th}}
| {{plainlist|0.872 {{color|darkgreen|very high}}<ref name="HDIV4"/> 32nd
*0.801 {{color|darkgreen|very high}} IHDI<ref name="IHDIV4"/> 27th}}
| {{plainlist|0.857 {{color|darkgreen|very high}}<ref name="HDIV4"/> 36th
*0.804 {{color|darkgreen|very high}} IHDI<ref name="IHDIV4"/> 26th}}
|}

==See also==
=== Other groups in Central Europe ===
* [[Organization:Central European Defence Cooperation|Central European Defence Cooperation]]
* [[Place:Central European Initiative|Central European Initiative]]
* [[Organization:Salzburg Forum|Salzburg Forum]]
* [[Organization:Three Seas Initiative|Three Seas Initiative]]

=== Similar groups ===
* [[Organization:Craiova Group|Craiova Group]]
* [[Organization:EU Med Group|EU Med Group]]
* NORDEFCO
* [[Organization:Nordic-Baltic Eight|Nordic-Baltic Eight]]

=== Other ===
* [[Place:Central Europe|Central Europe]]
* International Visegrad Day

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==


{{DEFAULTSORT:Visegrád Group}}
[[Category:Intergovernmental organizations]]
[[Category:Central Europe]]
[[Category:International political organizations]]
[[Category:Organizations (Place)]]
[[Category:Organizations|Place]]

{{Sourceattribution|Visegrád Group|1}}