The need to reform the European Union and strengthen cooperation of the Visegrad Group parliaments were the main topics of Thursday's meeting of Sejm Speaker Marek Kuchciński with Czech President Miloš Zeman. Poland is the second country, after Slovakia, that he has visited on an official visit since his re-election. The meeting was also attended by Grzegorz Janik, chairman of the Czech-Polish Parliamentary Group, and Agnieszka Kaczmarska, head of the Sejm Chancellery. - I am glad that, together with the Czech Parliament, we share the same opinion on the issue of the development of the EU as a Europe of homelands, sovereign states, and not as unified nations,' emphasised the Speaker of the Sejm.
Another topic of discussion was the increasingly intensive relations between Poland and the Czech Republic at the parliamentary level. Among other examples, the Speaker of the Sejm mentioned the planned mutual visits at the highest parliamentary level and the work of bilateral groups. - I am very happy that we can open a new quality of our cooperation - said Marek Kuchciński.
The Speaker of the Sejm also emphasized the activities undertaken at the parliamentary level to strengthen the cooperation in the entire region of Central and Eastern Europe, not only within the Visegrad Group. - Strengthening V4 gave very good results, so we need to deepen this cooperation. It is worth developing together with our neighbors in the north and south, including the Czech Republic, actions that would bring stability to our part of Europe and increase its importance towards the 'old Union' - said Marek Kuchciński.
Politicians unanimously assessed that the EU expands its competences excessively. President Zeman drew attention to the principle of subsidiarity in the context of the issue of the Bialowieza Forest, which he intends to visit. - The European Union should not interfere in the way a state manages its natural resources," said the Czech president. On the other hand, he added, the EU has many tasks it should perform, such as the protection of external borders. - We are trying to make the EU reform. We believe that the Visegrad Group will play a crucial role in this respect. It cannot be ruled out that other countries will join it in the course of time," said Miloš Zeman. - We should support ambitious initiatives that strengthen Polish-Czech cooperation, for example in the field of infrastructure - emphasised the Speaker of the Sejm. The issue of the Danube-Oder water corridor was mentioned, which is an example of infrastructural projects on the north-south axis. - It also concerns energy corridors, transport corridors and others. There is a lot of work ahead of us - said the Czech President.
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Photo by P. Kula
