VIENNA, October 9 (Itar-Tass) — The presidents of the four member countries of the Visegrad Group pointed to the irreplaceable role of nuclear energy in power supplies, taking into account the situation with energy resources in the region.
They also discussed economic cooperation, problems of European integration and the financial situation in the EU.
The Visegrad Group summit, marking its 20th anniversary, opened in the Hungarian capital Budapest. Then, its participants – presidents of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- Bronislaw Komorowski, Pal Schmitt, Vaclav Klaus and Ivan Gasparovic – went to the northern Hungarian city of Visegrad to hold consultations.
By their results, the heads of state of the Visegrad Group emphasized that Central European countries have now no alternative to nuclear energy over the lack of other energy sources in the region.
Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic pointed to a great future of nuclear energy in the region, despite the fact that the present operating stations create definite problems from security point of view, including for the environment. According to the president, instead of closing down nuclear plants over their expensiveness, it is necessary to channel money for research work to achieve security of these energy sets.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus, a well-known Eurosceptic, called “a fatally wrong approach” Brussels’ desire to increase the European integration—“more and more of Europe”. In the president’s opinion, precisely this course, for instance, the introduction of a single European currency, the euro, in the past is “the victory of politics over economics” and a reason for acute financial problems, suffered now by the EU.
The Visegrad Group now unites Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. Cooperation within the organization is now made through regular meetings at the level of presidents, premiers and foreign ministers.