Hungary and Czechia have begun preparations for a joint meeting of their governments, which could take place as early as October, according to Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka following talks in Budapest with Hungarian Foreign Minister Anita Orbán.

Speaking to Czech journalists on Friday, Macinka said the proposed joint cabinet meeting does not yet have a confirmed date, but October has emerged as a possible timeframe, according to the Czech News Agency (ČTK).

Talks focused on V4 cooperation and EU enlargement

Macinka said his discussions with Orbán centred on the future of the Visegrád Group (V4), as well as Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union. The meeting follows the recent V4 summit held in Gödöllő, where leaders sought to strengthen regional cooperation after years of political tensions within the alliance.

Closer cooperation planned across several sectors

In a post on X, Orbán said she had welcomed her Czech counterpart to Budapest and that the two ministers had reviewed key bilateral issues while following up on the recent V4 summit. She added that they had officially begun preparations for a joint government meeting and discussed expanding cooperation in several strategic areas, including:

  • transport,
  • healthcare,
  • energy,
  • economic competitiveness, and
  • European Union enlargement.

If held, the joint cabinet meeting would provide an opportunity for the two governments to coordinate policies more closely on regional and European issues.

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Petr Macinka and Anita Orbán first met in May, when the Hungarian foreign minister attended the Globsec security policy forum in Prague. Although the Czech side described the Prague meeting at the time as merely an introductory one, it noted that there appeared to be great potential for developing Czech-Hungarian relations.

“We are both aware that both the Hungarians and we are still relatively soon after the elections, so our government will remain a partner to the Hungarian government for a relatively long time,” Petr Macinka explained to Czech journalists.

“It follows from this that both countries can plan for the longer term and cooperate on longer-term projects,” he emphasised. Responding to the April elections in Hungary, the Czech foreign minister stated that the Czech Republic would strive for exceptional relations with the new Hungarian government.

On Friday in Budapest, Petr Macinka met with representatives of both the Hungarian government and the opposition. In the morning, he held talks with Márton Hajdu, chairman of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee and a representative of the ruling Tisza Party, while in the afternoon he met with Gergely Gulyás, the Fidesz parliamentary group leader.

If you missed it: V4 leaders in Gödöllő pledge to strengthen cooperation, build on shared interests