Geopolitical position and energy security of the Visegrad group

Nešković Slobodan (Univerzitet Privredna akademija u Novom Sadu, Fakultet za evropske pravno-političke studije, Međunarodna akademija nauka, umetnosti i bezbednosti - MANUB), slobneskovic@gmail.com

Our paper examines the geopolitical context of the Visegrad Group’s functioning. The Visegrad Group is an alliance of four Central European countries: the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. Since its establishment in 1991, this group has been working to strengthen cooperation, European integration, and harmonisation of political interests within the European Union (EU). Energy security is of particular importance within the framework of cooperation, which in the current crisis environment is conditioned by antagonisms between the EU and the Russian Federation. The paper analyses the Green Transition platform, which, in addition to technical propositions, also includes a broadly conceptualised social process. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the author seeks to clarify the dependence of microregions on Russian energy sources, the structure of energy capacities, infrastructure projects, and diversification, as well as social risks and implications for the energy transition process. The current topic also deals with the analysis of political, social, and economic challenges, climate policies, and financial programmes to support their implementation. The goal of the analysis is a holistic view of the positions of the Visegrad Group (V4) countries with regard to the indigenous paradigm of geostrategic interests and long‐term energy security. Through the comparative scientific method, the author seeks to synthesise knowledge in this area to point out its importance for the Western Balkans and especially for the Republic of Serbia. The paper points out the internal contradictions in the Visegrad Four countries, which are particularly expressed in the current geopolitical circumstances that prevent the realisation of an inclusive energy perspective.

Keywords: Visegrad Group, geopolitical position, energy security, EU Green Transition, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russian Federation