Sobotka: V4 Isn't Troublemaker, It Wants to Prevent EU from Breaking Up

Sobotka: V4 Isn't Troublemaker, It Wants to Prevent EU from Breaking Up

Bratislava, October 22 (TASR) – The Visegrad Four (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) isn’t a source of problems in Europe, quite the contrary – it’s working to prevent Europe from breaking up, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka stated at the programme conference of Slovak social democratic party Smer-SD on Saturday.

“There’s a whole range of problems in Europe. Meanwhile, the V4 is acting as constructively as possible and it’s striving to help Europe in preventing it from breaking up altogether,” said Sobotka.

When it comes to the future of Social Democracy in Europe, it must regain political dynamics in the first place, he believes. At the same time Sobotka pointed to a growth of movements that are determined to do away with the EU.

There are also populist movements aimed at destroying the system of political parties. These entities draw on people’s frustration and negative effects of globalisation, said Sobotka.
“Also, there are movements living on fear-mongering concerning migration,” stated Sobotka.

In order to take wind out of the populists’ sails, Social Democrats must return to caring about the feelings of people they’ve always been representing – “people from the middle and low-income classes, employees, small entrepreneurs, elderly and youth,” enumerated Sobotka.

Social Democrats in Europe must guarantee prosperity and security, apart from promoting freedom and liberal democracy, “which is being threatened by populists, oligarchs and xenophobes of all kinds”, added the Czech prime minister.