“We have gained the first year of experience since actually starting to draw on the European funds for the 2014 – 2020 period. We have shared our experience with other V4 ministers and harmonized our positions for the next rounds of negotiations on the European level. I believe that our joint voice and motions towards simplification of the cohesion policy rules is heard in Brussels and will contribute to their improvement in the next programming period after year 2020”, stated in conclusion to the event Karla Šlechtová, Minister of Regional Development.

The Ministry of Regional Development has played a crucial role during the Czech presidency having held dozens of thematically diverse events with the objective of sharing experience among the historically and geographically close countries in the Central European region. The events were dedicated to specific topics, such as public procurement, publicity, or possible use of financial instruments for applicants. Over the last year, even highly specific topics such as evaluation of EU-funded programmes and project benefits were discussed. A bilingual brochure Czech V4 Presidency 2015 – 2016: Cohesion Policy outlines the summary of the MoRD activities.

The key conclusions, agreed among the V4+4 officials back in January and further developed in Ostrava, include readiness for major challenges faced by the EU Member States in the next 10 to 15 years, such as migration, demographic and climatic changes. There has been an agreement over the need to pursue simplification of rules for beneficiaries and applicants for grants, as well as over the key role of strategic management in public administration that has crucial impact on the efficiency of EU fund drawing.

The Visegrad Four Group has marked the 25^th anniversary of co-operation this year; as of July, the presidency will be taken over by Poland for the next year.