Przegląd Europejski 2/2024. 20 years of the Visegrad Group countries in the European Union: changes in the economies and legal systems and new challenges

Twenty years ago, the Visegrad Group (V4) countries: Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia became members of the European Union. That EU enlargement had a major impact on the further course of European integration processes. This issue is devoted to the changes that the economies and legal systems of the V4 countries have undergone during this time and the new development challenges they are facing today. The history of the V4 countries after the Second World War may seem similar, as they were all part of the Eastern Bloc controlled by the Soviet Union. However, their differences in social, legal and economic terms meant that they were faced with different adjustment conditions in the EU. This also had an impact on their functioning within the EU system. The articles that make up the issue present the results of research on the presence of Visegrad countries in the EU. The researchers point to many common features, but also highlight different approaches to trade in goods and services, state aid, migration or accession to the eurozone. They also show differences in the functioning of legal regulations, including adaptations to environmental requirements.