European policy of Slovakia as a member of the Visegrád Group

Abstract

The text summarizes the main objectives and directions of European policy in Slovakia, as well as the interests of the state which are pursued within this framework. The article begins with a review of the most important interests of the Slovak Republic, which are implemented through its foreign policy. Then, the conditions for the implementation of this type of policy and the method of conducting one of its branches, i.e. European policy, are presented. Afterwards, the extent to which the state’s position in the EU can be taken advantage of within the Visegrád Group is discussed. The fundamental context of the analysis is provided by the specific political situation of the country, which is the only member of both the Visegrád Group and the Eurozone. The main goal of the analysis is to show the ways and scale of using this position to pursue one’s own interests. Slovakia is shown to be a country whose foreign policy is currently based on strong ties with Germany and France, providing it with access to EU funds, Western investments and energy security.