In 2002, Hungary initiated establishment of an Expert Working Group on Energy. This Expert Group meets 1—2 times a year in V—4 Capitals on rotation basis, and the Head of the Host Country delegation always chairs the meeting.

In the initial phase of the co—operation, the agenda of the WG mostly focused on the exchange of information on energy policies and on stockpiling of oil and oil products. Later, especially after having accessed the European Union, the V—4 Member Countries began to more and more orient their co—operation on co—ordination of V—4 Member Countries positions in negotiating the EU draft directives and on exchange of opinions on particular energy issues.

At the beginning of 2006, a significant change in energy co—operation occured in Europe. EU Member Countries have realised that it was necessary to solve certain energy issues not only at national level, but at European level, and some of them also at worldwide level. The EU has decided to develop a New Energy Policy for Europe, and the European Commission issued The Green Paper on European Strategy on Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy. The objective of the New Energy Policy for Europe will above all be diversification of energy sources, common approach to energy suppliers from third countries, increase of competitiveness, higher energy efficiency and increased share of renewable energy sources in terms of cost effectiveness. One of the highest priorities of the New Energy Policy for Europe will be intensification of research and development with the aim of accelerating introduction of new progressive energy technologies in practice. On the other hand however, the choice of energy mix should also in future remain in competency of individual Member States.

This change has also been reflected in the V—4 co—operation. The issue of energy supplies security has become one of V—4 priorities. In order to solve this problem at a political level, Energy Ministers or their deputies of V—4 Member Countries, Austria and of several Balkan Countries met several times since the beginning of 2006, and discussed the political framework for energy supplies solution. At the end of these meetings, joint statements have been issued in which the agreement on diversification of energy sources and on development of emergency natural gas storage was expressed. 

On April 27, 2006, V—4 WG on Energy met in Prague with the aim of discussing recommendations for V—4 Energy Ministers concerning topics negotiated at ministerial level meetings.The WG elaborated recommendations concerning four groups of problems:

·               Recommendations of general nature in the sphere of energy policy, incl. energy R&D,

·               Recommendation to consider development of emergency natural gas storage,

·               Recommendation to consider construction of new gas/oil pipelines and of new naval LNG terminals;

·               Recommendations in the field of interconnecting power transmission grids.

It is evident from the above text that the V—4 energy meetings have recently acquired new qualitative dimensions, i.e. the main agenda of the WG is not exchange of information any more, but co—ordination of positions and elaboration of recommendations for solving particular problems in energy industry.