Helena Bujnová: The Geo-political Situation of the Countries of the Visegrad Treaty

There were not created any new important interprerations on the Central European geo-political reg­ion even as a consequence of enormous political changes that began in the ninetees of the 20th century. Although, they caused significant modifications in the previous conceptions. At the beginning of the 21st century the role of Central Europe still had two basic geo-political interpretations: the „Transitional Europe“ and the „periphery of Europe“ conception.

The first perceptible result of the co-operation in the field of integration and geo-political orientation was the creation of the Visegrad Treaty. The Visegrad Declaration on co-operation was passed at the meeting of presidents and prime ministers of the Czechoslovak Federative Republic, Poland, and Hun­ga­ry. The signers declared their determination to liquidate the remains of previous totalitarian systems and to create democratic relations and mo­dern market economy in the countries.
The expansion of the Visegrad Reg­ion, that is al­most 534 thousand km2, comparable with the territory of France, its number of population al­most 65 million. This community gives an opportunity for synergic, supporting effects, since four country with mutual efforst can reach better results in solving its problems.
The study tries to define the basic characteristics of foreign policy, geo-political orientation and geo-pollitical situation of these four countries in the mostly integrated Central European reg­ion.
They all are members of the Organisation of the North-Altantic Treaty. Consequently, their very similar foreign policy orientation towards third countries can be unanimously defined. The situation is similar relating their membership in the European Union, since from May 2004 all the four countries are members of the integrated organiation.
Another factor determining the geo-political situation of the V4 is the military force, that is the oldest and most classical way of judging the power situation of countries. Since this is a factor that can be enumerated and the numbers are public. It is evident from the data indicating military force that no Central European country has such goals that by strenghtening its military would ensure authority to itself.
In order to strenghten the geo-political situation of the V4 in such a complicated geographical and political reg­ion as the EU, a much mo­re intensve and extensive co-operation between the countries is important that breaks through all the levels from the highest to the lowest one.
The neccessity of V4’s remaining and its further functioning, on which mutual unity and co-operation of participating countries has a great influence, is evident from our viewpoint. The tasks of co-operation has to be defined precisely, while the most important issues relating the European Uion are to be set in the cent­re, through which it can be ensured that the strong and unified influence of the V4 is considered in Brussel at the strategic decision making of the European Union.