The John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics held its second "College of Visegrad+ Weekend University" from October 10th to 13th, 2024, this time de facto in Visegrad. This event brought together university students, young professionals and guest lecturers from all four countries of the Visegrad Cooperation – Czechia, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary.
The Weekend University began on October 10th with a discussion titled “Institutionalization of the V4.” The session featured Géza Jeszenszky, former Hungarian Foreign Minister and a participant in the 1991 Visegrád meeting, and Gergely Prőhle, Programme Director of the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics. We had the opportunity to hear Mr. Jeszenszky’s valuable personal insights into the background, negotiation process and objectives of the Visegrad cooperation.
On October 11th, the participants engaged in a series of interactive discussions. Marcel Dolobáč, Vice-Dean for Development and International Relations and Head of the Faculty of Law at Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Slovakia, led the first session on a very actual topic that affects our everyday life in all V4 countries, namely the challenges of regulating artificial intelligence. This was followed by a discussion on security and defense policy, focusing on the Israel-Palestine conflict from a V4 perspective, presented by Pavel Pšeja, a lecturer at the Department of Political Science and Anglophone Studies at the Metropolitan University Prague. Next, Hungarian MEP Enikő Győri, also a research fellow at the Department of European Studies of the Faculty of Public Governance and International Studies at Ludovika University, led a discussion on the economic competition between the V4 countries and Western Europe. The final session of the day was conducted by László Sinka, Counsellor at the Ministry of European Union Affairs, who discussed the V4’s role in the EU and the positions on future enlargement.
Following this intensive day, the morning of October 12th was spent on a cultural excursion to the Visegrad Royal Palace, where the 1991 Visegrád Declaration was signed. Participants enjoyed a guided tour filled with fascinating historical insights, made even more enjoyable by the great weather. In the afternoon, the students participated in a training session led by facilitator Krisztián Hegyi, where they brainstormed and co-authored a paper identifying key areas of Visegrad cooperation especially in the frame of the College of Visegrad+ Programme for further development. After the training, the group enjoyed a picturesque sunset boat ride on the Danube, which offered stunning views of the Visegrád Castle and surrounding landscape.
On October 13th, the final day of the event, participants visited the iconic Visegrád Castle, providing a fitting symbolic closure to the Weekend University.
The four-day event aimed to offer participants a deeper understanding of the different aspects of Visegrad cooperation, facilitate exchanges of ideas, and help expand their network among like-minded young people from the V4 countries who share similar values and interests.
The College of Visegrad+ Weekend University was organized in partnership with the John Lukacs Institute for Strategy and Politics at Ludovika University of Public Service, the Metropolitan University of Prague, the Jagiellonian University in Kraków and the Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice.