It is getting crowded in the world of Eastern European strategic partnerships.
Imitation, we are told, is the sincerest form of flattery. Visegrad Group acolytes would do well to remember this as they bemoan the rival geopolitical groupings springing up across their neighborhood.
January brought the founding of the Slavkov Triangle, between Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. Poland, which has in recent years appointed itself somewhat haughtily the keeper of the Visegrad flame, howled.
Then, in April we saw the announcement about the Craiova Group of Romania, Bulgaria, and Serbia. The southeastern copy of Visegrad goes some way toward formalizing a bloc within the “V4+”, an expanded format that has become increasingly popular as a means for Visegrad to inflate its clout.
Either side of its 24th birthday, and with its effectiveness and influence already on the wane, Visegrad went from being the de facto representative of Central European views to becoming just one of three groups straining to be heard in the cacophony of European diplomacy.
But while they appear to have weakened its position as the region’s foremost lobby bloc, Visegrad has reasons to be proud of its impersonators. Arguably a sign of its relative decline, they are undoubtedly a product of its success. And engaging with their development may prove more rewarding than opposing it.
▻http://visegradinsight.eu/it-is-getting-crowded
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