Strategic Renewal of V4 Cooperation: Energy Interconnectivity, Security of Supply, and Price Stability as Shared Priorities
Policy brief
At the beginning of 2026, the Visegrád Four (V4) countries are led by ideologically diverse governments. These cabinets differ in their political orientations. While Prime Ministers Fico and Orbán advocate a sovereign, nationalist, and conservative course and criticize the complete severing of ties with Russian energy sources, Poland, under the leadership of Donald Tusk, emphasizes a pro-Western orientation with the aim of limiting Russian influence in the region. Despite these differences, however, all V4 countries are united by the urgent need to address common challenges in the energy sector, which thus becomes a point of convergence for their interests. The risk of widespread blackouts, persistently high energy prices, and the need to strengthen cross-border energy grid interconnections to ensure security of supply represent challenges that the region faces collectively and that are most effectively addressed through coordinated action. Although these areas represent primarily a technical necessity, they are also the most realistic and least politicized arena for effective regional coordination in the coming years.