V4 and Israel to talk terror, migration, peace

The Visegrad Group (V4) – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – and Israel are also to hold trade talks focused on energy, innovation, and research and development, as the Central and Eastern European countries strive to catch up with Western Europe and play a bigger role in the EU.

During her visit to Hungary, which recently took over from Poland as president of the V4, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło is to have a one-on-one with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu on Polish-Israeli economic and security partnership.

She will also meet her V4 partners to discuss Europe's migration crisis, a controversial pay decision by Brussels, the EU's social rights principles and the move of two of the bloc's agencies' headquarters from Britain after Brexit.

Migration crisis

The V4 is staunchly opposed to the EU's plan to relocate migrants in a bid to relieve pressure on countries in its south which have seen hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern and African migrants arrive on their shores.

The European Commission has launched cases against Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary for not doing their part under the two-year relocation plan, adopted in September 2015.

EU pay decision

Poland also opposes a Brussels decision to pay EU nationals working in other member states at the rates of the country they are in.

Polish truck drivers and freight companies are especially concerned that this will make them less competitive in Western Europe.

Social rights pillar

The European Union's social rights pillar aims to ensure better living and working conditions through equal opportunities and access to the labour market and social protection and inclusion, particularly for the euro-zone.

EU agency relocation

The European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority currently have their headquarters in the UK and a number of EU countries are competing to become their new homes.

Szydło is also expected to relay news from US President Donald Trump's visit to Poland and a Three Seas summit of 12 Central European, Baltic and Western Balkan countries in Warsaw, which both took place earlier this month, to her V4 counterparts.

(vb/pk)