President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou is travelling to Bratislava on Wednesday afternoon to attend a meeting of parliamentary speakers of the Visegrad Group (V4) and the "Friends of Cohesion" countries, focusing on negotiations over the European Union's next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2028-2034.
According to a statement issued by the House of Representatives, the meeting will be hosted by Slovakia's National Council on November 12 and 13, as part of the parliamentary dimension of Slovakia's V4 Presidency, at the invitation of National Council President Richard Rasi.
The main proceedings will take place on Friday, November 13, at Bratislava Castle, where participants will seek to establish a common position in favour of maintaining a strong and adequately funded EU Cohesion Policy and Common Agricultural Policy.
According to the statement, both policies are key pillars of the EU's long-term budget, playing a crucial role in promoting economic, social and territorial cohesion, as well as the sustainability of the primary sector. The meeting is expected to conclude with the adoption of a joint declaration.
The meeting will bring together the speakers of the parliaments of Slovakia and Hungary, as well as the speakers of both parliamentary chambers in Poland and the Czech Republic, the four countries that make up the Visegrad Group.
Other "Friends of Cohesion" countries will be represented by the parliamentary speakers of Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Italy, Lithuania, Malta and Slovenia, as well as deputy speakers from Portugal and Romania and a deputy speaker of the Spanish Senate.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Demetriou will hold separate bilateral talks with Croatian Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandrokovic, Maltese House of Representatives Speaker Carmelo Abela and Lithuanian Parliament Speaker Juozas Olekas.
The House President is scheduled to return to Cyprus on Saturday, November 14.
