Matej Jaššo

Abstract

This paper seeks to critically evaluate the evolution, dynamics and future prospects of cooperation among the Visegrád Group (V4) – Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia – within the broader context of European integration and spatial aspects of development. While the 20th anniversary of the 2004 EU enlargement provides the motivation for the study, the central goal is to evaluate how V4 cooperation has contributed to, responded to and was shaped by major territorial, political, and socio-economic transformations over the past two decades. Employing a mixed-method approach, this research integrates statistical data from Eurostat and the output from existing relevant research on V4 countries to gauge the economic development trajectory and the impacts on these countries, as well as semi-structured interviews with senior academics, including planners, economists, and public administration experts. Our mixed-method methodology combines quantitative assessments of economic development indicators with qualitative insights from interviews to provide a comprehensive understanding of the V4 countries’ development post-EU accession. The key themes include economic development including statistical trends in economic indicators, focusing on GDP growth and convergence with the EU average over the past two decades; socio-economic convergence, focusing on the success of socio-economic convergence at the community level while acknowledging the rise in territorial inequalities at sub-regional and local levels; the impact of structural funds on local government units, evaluating their role in developing technical and social infrastructure and addressing territorial disparities; functional linkages, particularly how the enlargement influenced functional linkages within the EU, especially the interaction between the V4 countries and the ‘old’ Member States; and challenges and disparities focusing on uneven effects of various challenges, including economic crises, migratory patterns, geopolitical conflicts, and external shocks, on the spatial distribution of winners and losers.

Keywords: EU enlargement, V4 countries, territorial implications, socio-economic convergence, structural funds, functional linkages, spatial disparities, Cohesion Policy

Milan Husár [milan.husar@fm.uniba.sk], SPECTRA Center of Excellence EU at Faculty of Management, Comenius University in Bratislava Odbojárov 10, 820 18 Bratislava 218: Slovakia; Institute of Management, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Vazovova 5, 812 43 Bratislava: Slovakia
Matej Jaššo [jasso4@uniba.sk], SPECTRA Center of Excellence EU at Faculty of Management, Comenius University in Bratislava Odbojárov 10, 820 18 Bratislava 218: Slovakia; Institute of Management, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Vazovova 5, 812 43 Bratislava: Slovakia
Sila Ceren Varis Husar [sila.husar@stuba.sk], Institute of Management, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava Vazovova 5, 812 43 Bratislava: Slovakia

Citation

APA: Husár, M., Jaššo, M., & Varis Husar, S. (2025). Twenty Years After Enlargement : Review of the achievements and the future role of V4 cooperation. Europa XXI, 48, 3. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2025.48.3
MLA: Husár, Milan, et al. "Twenty Years After Enlargement : Review of the achievements and the future role of V4 cooperation". Europa XXI, vol. 48, 2025, pp. 3. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2025.48.3
Chicago: Husár, Milan, Jaššo, Matej, and Varis Husar, Sila Ceren. "Twenty Years After Enlargement : Review of the achievements and the future role of V4 cooperation". Europa XXI 48 (2025): 3. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2025.48.3
Harvard: Husár, M., Jaššo, M., & Varis Husar, S. 2025. "Twenty Years After Enlargement : Review of the achievements and the future role of V4 cooperation". Europa XXI, vol. 48, pp. 3. https://doi.org/10.7163/Eu21.2025.48.3