V4 meet at Central Eastern Europe Innovators Summit

Last Tuesday, Central Eastern Europe Innovators Summit took place in Warsaw. Among the guests that participated in the event were leaders of the Visegrád Group (V4 group): Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. Prime ministers of the four countries: Beata Szydło, Bohuslav Sobotka, Robert Fico, and Viktor Orban, came to Warsaw to give boost to the cooperation between the four CEE nations and stress the importance of joint development and investment in innovative projects in the region.

The key moment of the summit was the signing of the so-called Warsaw Declaration. The document stresses the need for forging innovation, supporting competition and getting ready to face the challenges of the digital age. Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary intend to work together to foster developments in such areas as new technology, research and acquisition of EU funds, and also strengthen the importance of the group in the international arena. The Prime Ministers emphasized the need to develop new technologies with the support of public funding.

Central Eastern Europe Innovators Summit was an event during which numerous start-ups, entrepreneurs and investors could meet and present the business ideas and developments they have been working on. Prime Minister Szydło noted that interest in the event had exceeded all expectations, even outside the CEE region. Participants had a unique chance to meet such people as Susan Wojcicki, the CEO of YouTube.

The Visegrád Group states share similar history and also face similar challenges. They went through the immense task of transforming their economies and societies. Now, the key challenge is not falling behind other nations when it comes to the technological shift and the new economic developments. Innovation is everyone’s favourite word at the moment.

Prime Ministers hope the V4 and the CEE region, thanks to cooperation, will soon become a driving force on the European economic scene. Beata Szydło noted the countries want to build a new future for the European Union.