The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, also known as the Visegrad Group countries, have long shared common ground in history, culture, religion, and economics. Over the course of the centuries this shared past has been marked by a striving for unity as well as frequent frictions, peaceful times and military conflicts. The last decade of the 20th century provided venue for a new kind of cooperation, allowing these nations to catch up with economically more developed European countries. This decade also offered the unprecedented opportunity for cooperation at every level. The partnership that has developed among these nations is the backbone of the region s economic competitiveness in the long term. It is within the framework of such partnership that we may face up to problems yet to be resolved, like environmental pollution, diminishing energy supplies, the development of educational and research institutions, the effects of climate change on our region, and our transformation into a migration hub - to name only a few of the challenges we have yet to meet. (fragment)