The Slavkov Declaration. A new format of regional cooperation

On 29 January 2015 in the Czech town of Slavkov (historically known as Austerlitz) the prime ministers of the Czech Republic and Slovakia together with the Chancellor of Austria announced the creation of a new format of cooperation in Central Europe. According to the so called “Slavkov Declaration”, this new format is aimed at bolstering the cooperation both between the three states of the region and in the European forum, as well as at boosting economic growth and employment levels. Annual meetings of the heads of government were announced, during which areas of trilateral cooperation would be defined. This year these areas include: infrastructure and cross-border cooperation, social policy and relations with the Western Balkan states and the states comprised by the Eastern Partnership initiative. For the Czech government – who are the format’s initiators – the main objective was to strengthen the strictly regional dimension of cooperation, meanwhile Austria and Slovakia began to use this forum to criticise the sanctions imposed on Russia by the EU and to promote Europe’s more lenient approach in its relations with Russia.