Prime Minister Babiš following the V4 meeting: The next European budget must be fair and balanced
On Thursday 10 September 2026, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš attended a meeting in Bratislava of the prime ministers of the Visegrád Four countries and Ireland. The Prime Ministers of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary met at Bratislava Castle with their Irish counterpart, Micheál Martin – whose country currently holds the EU Presidency – to discuss, in particular, the EU’s next multiannual budget, strengthening European competitiveness, and ways of reducing energy and fuel prices. The V4 leaders also agreed to step up cooperation and coordination ahead of European Council meetings.
The prime ministers of the Visegrád Four countries have met for the second time this year. The participation of Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin in the Bratislava summit underscores the growing importance of the V4 as a partner in discussions on the future direction of the European Union. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš sent a letter to his V4 counterparts ahead of the meeting, in which he called on them to work more closely together in pursuing shared priorities. He also emphasised that the V4 region is the most promising of all European regions.
The main topic of the meeting was the European budget for the 2028-2034 period; the Irish Presidency of the Council is now preparing another compromise proposal. “The next European budget must be fair and balanced. It must respect the differing levels of economic development among Member States and must not disadvantage countries which have a strong industrial base and are still catching up with the most advanced parts of the Union, such as the Czech Republic and other V4 countries. The Cohesion and the Common Agricultural Policy must remain the cornerstones of the European budget. We reject member states receiving less money at the expense of central programmes," stated the Prime Minister.
The V4 leaders also discussed ways to boost European competitiveness and the high prices of energy and fuel. “The ETS 1 emissions trading scheme is destroying European industry, and if Europe really wants to help its manufacturers, this scheme should be suspended. The planned ETS 2 emissions trading scheme will then lead to a decline in the standard of living of EU citizens. We are currently tackling a major problem in the form of high fuel prices; we have reached a situation where the Green Deal has reduced refinery capacity in the EU by 40 per cent, and the ETS 2 will also have a direct impact on the refining industry. More companies will therefore leave Europe, so it will no longer be a question of price, but of fuel availability. That is why we want to postpone the introduction of ETS 2. These are the only quick fixes for boosting competitiveness," added the Czech Prime Minister.
