Regional groups in EU decision-making: How did European crises shape Central European unity?

In the past years, the European Union has experienced several crises that tested the cohesion of its member states and the efficiency of its decision-making process. Amidst this series of crises, from the migration crisis of 2015–2016 to the current challenge of the Russia–Ukraine War, some Central European countries have repeatedly emerged as dissonant voices in the European choir. However, recent events such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as elections in Poland and Slovakia, have altered the Central European political landscape and Central Europeans’ priorities within the EU. Given Hungary’s persistent discord with regional partners on key strategic issues, some foreign policy analysts have expected that the relative importance of the Visegrád Group would decrease in favour of other regional groups and flexible alliances as states would try to avoid sharing a platform with Hungary. This research aims to empirically test this hypothesis by going beyond the mediatised conflicts and including all policy areas covered at the EU level. It focuses on the role of known Central European regional groups to explore how united Central Europeans are at the EU level and how they operate to further their political interests. Its empirical content is drawn from a questionnaire disseminated amongst Austrian, Czech, Hungarian, and Slovak diplomats working at their country’s Permanent Representations to the EU.