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Abstract:
The Visegrad Group is a platform for regional cooperation based on a common historical heritage, similar geopolitical position of the four Central European states, as well as the concurrent perception of the challenges they face. Over the past 20 years the Visegrad Group has established a tradition of cooperation between the neighbours and has been perceived as an optimal form of cooperation on a regional level. Yet, the set of values and interests common for the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia is not specifi c and unique, it is shared more or less by other countries of the region and the EU. Therefore, the Visegrad Group proved successful in being a basis for wider political coalitions, particularly with other EU member states from the region. This paper presents the origins of this cooperation, its evolution prompted by the changing international position of its member countries, as well as the current challenges facing the Visegrad Group.
