A meeting of agriculture ministers in the expanded V4+4 format was held in Balatonfüred from 29 to 30 June 2026. The meeting brought together the Visegrad Group member states (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) and representatives of Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia.

The meeting was hosted by Hungarian Minister of Agriculture Szabolcs Bóna, on behalf of Hungary, which currently holds the Visegrad Group presidency.

The two-day meeting was dedicated to strengthening regional cooperation in the field of agricultural policy, sustainable development and addressing contemporary challenges in food production in Central and Eastern Europe.

The central topic of the meeting was a strategic discussion on risk management and insurance systems in agriculture. Special emphasis was placed on mitigating the effects of climate change on food production and the need for more effective financial support for farmers in crisis situations.

The importance of the development of the bioeconomy was highlighted, which was recognized as a key path to achieving sustainability, the development of regional and local supply chains and the long-term security of agricultural production.

The Republic of Croatia was represented at the meeting by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Tugomir Majdak.

As part of the meeting, six participating countries, including Croatia, signed joint declarations:

Declaration on effective crisis management in agriculture within the framework of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and in a broader context

Declaration on cooperation in the field of bioeconomy and drought protection.

State Secretary Tugomir Majdak highlighted the priorities and official positions of the Republic of Croatia, emphasizing that effective crisis management in agriculture within the framework of the CAP is one of the important priorities for Croatia and the members of the Visegrad Group, especially due to the increasingly frequent difficulties that threaten the sustainability of farmers. He emphasized that Croatia strongly supports the strengthening of financial assistance aimed at the resilience of the sector and preventive measures on farms. He also recalled the importance of the bioeconomy as a key path towards sustainability, and particularly emphasized that the National Bioeconomy Strategy until 2035. was presented in the Croatian Parliament last week. Its adoption will encourage innovative development and sustainable economic growth at the local and regional level.

The joint conclusions and signed declarations of the V4+4 countries represent an agreed common position that will be addressed to the European Commission, with the aim of ensuring the necessary development and investments for the long-term stability of agricultural production. The participants agreed that further cooperation of the countries within this expanded format is crucial for the effective representation of regional interests at the European Union level.

At the very end of the two-day meeting, Hungary ceremoniously handed over the rotating presidency of the Visegrad Group to Slovakia, namely to the Slovak Minister of Agriculture Richard Takáč.