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Visegrad Group
Map of Europe indicating the four member countries of the Visegrad Group
Membership		Czech Republic  Hungary  Poland  Slovakia
Leaders
-	Rotating Presidency	Czech Republic[1]
Establishment		15 February 1991
Area
-	Total	533,615 km2  206,030 sq mi
Population
-	2010 estimate	64,301,710
-	Density	120.0/km2  310.8/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		estimate
-	Total	$1,363,052 billion (15th)

The Visegrád Group, also called the Visegrád Four or V4, is an alliance of four Central European states – Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – for the purposes of cooperation and furthering their European integration. The Group's name in the languages of the four countries is Visegrádská čtyřka or Visegrádská skupina (Czech); Visegrádi Együttműködés or Visegrádi négyek (Hungarian); Grupa Wyszehradzka (Polish); and Vyšehradská skupina or Vyšehradská štvorka (Slovak). It is also sometimes referred to as the Visegrád Triangle, since it was an alliance of three states at the beginning – the term is not valid now, but appears sometimes even after all the years since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993.

The Group originated in a summit meeting of the heads of state or government of Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland held in the Hungarian castle town of Visegrád^[2] on 15 February 1991 (not to be mistaken with Vyšehrad, a castle in Prague, the capital city of the Czech Republic, or with the town of Višegrad in Bosnia and Herzegovina).

The Czech Republic and Slovakia became members after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1993. All four members of the Visegrád Group became part of the European Union on 1 May 2004.

Historical inspiration[link]

The Royal Palace in Visegrád

The name of the Group is derived, and the place of meeting selected, from a meeting of the Bohemian, Polish and Hungarian rulers in Visegrád in 1335. Charles I of Hungary, Casimir III of Poland and John of Bohemia agreed to create new commercial routes to bypass the staple port Vienna and obtain easier access to other European markets. A second meeting took place in 1339, where the new king of Poland was decided upon.

Economies[link]

All four nations in the Visegrád Group are high income countries with a very high human development index. V4 countries have enjoyed more or less steady economic growth since the revolutions of 1989. In 2009, Slovakia adopted the euro as its official currency.

If counted as a single nation state, the Visegrad Group is the seventh largest economy in Europe and the 15th in the world.

Based on Gross Domestic Product (PPP) figures for the year 2011, the most developed country in the grouping is the Czech Republic (USD 25,933 per capita), followed by Slovakia (USD 23,384 per capita), Poland (USD 20,136 per capita) and Hungary (USD 19,647 per capita). The average GDP (PPP) in 2011 for the entire group was USD 21,197.

Poland[link]

Warsaw's skyscrapers in Śródmieście district

The largest economy in the region is Poland (GDP PPP total of USD 766,675 billion with a ranking of 19th in the world). According to the UN and the World Bank, it is a high income country with a very high human development index.^[3][4] Polish economy and is the sixth largest in the EU and one of the fastest growing economies in Europe, with a yearly growth rate of over 3.0% before the late-2000s recession. It is the only member country of the European Union to have avoided a decline in GDP, meaning that in 2009 Poland has created the most GDP growth in the EU. As of December 2009 the Polish economy had not entered recession nor contracted. According to the Central Statistical Office of Poland, In 2011 the Polish economic growth rate was 4.3 %, which was the best result in EU. The largest component of its economy is the service sector (67,3%), followed by the industry sector (28,1%) and the agriculture sector (4,6%). Today, the main obstacle to growth is the country's poor infrastructure. However, with the increase of private investment and funding assistance from the EU, infrastructure in Poland is rapidly improving.

The main industries are mining, machinery (cars, buses, ships), metallurgy, chemical, electrical, textile and food processing. The high technology and IT sectors are also growing with the help of investors like Google, Toshiba, Dell, GE, LG and Sharp. The result is that today Poland is a producer of many electronic devices and components.^[5] Minerals extracted include black and brown coal, copper, lead, zinc, salt, sulfur, magnesite, kaolin and small amounts of oil and natural gas. The recently made available US Department of Energy report revealed that the largest reserves of shale gas in Europe are in Poland and it is expected that its production will play an important role in the Polish economy in the near future.^[6]

Poland has been called the bread basket of Europe due to its highly developed agriculture sector. Arable lands make up nearly half of the country, meadows and pastures only 13% and forests 30%. Wheat, rye, barley, flax, oats, potatoes, sugar beets, canola, hops, fruit and vegetables are all grown for both the home and export markets. Meanwhile, Poland's production of rye, flax, potatoes and sugar beet is the second largest in Europe after Russia. Pigs, cattle, sheep, horses and poultry are all commonly bred livestock. The country also has a substantial fishing industry located on the Baltic coast and near the lakes of the Mazury region.

Czech Republic[link]

Prague skyscrapers at Pankrác

The second largest economy in the group is the Czech Republic (GDP of USD 273.070 billion total, 42nd in world ranking). Before the Second World War, the Czech Republic was one of the most advanced countries in the world. However, the subsequent 41 years of communism greatly damaged the economy. Since the velvet revolution, the Czech Republic has successfully transformed itself into a free market economy. Today the Czech Republic is a highly industrialized country and belongs to the 30 most developed countries (according to the world bank). The main problems are corruption, and inequality between regions.

The main industries in the Czech Republic are chemicals, machinery, food processing, metallurgy and smelting. Other major industry sectors are energy, construction and consumer. Less important are the arms industry and glass, but these have a long tradition in Bohemia. Industry accounts for 35% of the Czech economy. The Czech Republic produces per capita the most cars in the world and about the same amount as in Great Britain. Main producers are Škoda auto, Peugeot-Citroen, Toyota and Hyundai. Other major companies are ČEZ (biggest company in central and eastern Europe), Škoda works (manufacturer of rail vehicles), Panasonic (electronics), Tatra (Heavy truck manufacturer), Acelor Mittal (Metallurgy), Avast (Software), PPF (largest Central European investment group) and many others.

The key minerals mined are black and brown coal, clay, graphite, limestone and other building materials. Uranium deposits are found near the village of Lower. In South Moravia, oil and natural gas are extracted, but larger amounts are imported from Russia. Since one third of the country is covered with forest, wood is also an important export.

Cereals (wheat, barley, maize), potatoes, sugar beets, poppy seeds, other flax crops, and canola are grown. Hops, fruit growing and viticulture are also important. The basis of livestock is cattle, pigs and poultry, as well as beekeeping or freshwater fish (especially carp).

Hungary[link]

ING headquarters in Budapest

The third economy is Hungary (total GDP of USD 196.196 billion, 52nd in the world). Hungary was one of the more developed economies of the Eastern bloc. With about $18 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) since 1989, Hungary has attracted over one-third of all FDI in central and eastern Europe, including the former Soviet Union. Of this, about $6 billion came from American companies. Now it is an industrial agricultural state. The main problem is generally declining economic performance and high debt.

The main industries are engineering, mechanical engineering (cars, buses), chemical, electrical, textile and food industries.

The service's sector accounted for 64% of GDP in 2007 and its role in the Hungarian economy is steadily growing. Located in the heart of Central-Europe, Hungary’s geostrategic location plays a significant role in the rise of the service sector as the country’s central position makes it suitable and rewarding to invest.

The main sectors of Hungarian industry are heavy industry (mining, metallurgy, machine and steel production), energy production, mechanical engineering, chemicals, food industry and automobile production. The industry is leaning mainly on processing industry and (including construction) accounted for 29,32% of GDP in 2008. The leading industry is machinery, followed by chemical industry (plastic production, pharmaceuticals), while mining, metallurgy and textile industry seemed to be losing importance in the past two decades. In spite of the significant drop in the last decade, food industry is still giving up to 14% of total industrial production and amounts to 7-8% of the country's exports.

Agriculture accounted for 4.3% of GDP in 2008 and along with the food industry occupied roughly 7.7% of the labor force. These two figures represent only the primary agricultural production: along with related businesses, agriculture makes up about 13% of the GDP. Hungarian agriculture is virtually self-sufficient and due to traditional reasons export-oriented. The most important crops are wheat, corn, sunflower, potato, sugar beet, canola and a wide variety of fruits (notably apple, peach, pear, grape, watermelon, plum etc.). Hungary has several wine regions producing among others the worldwide famous white dessert wine Tokaji and the red Bull’s Blood.

Tourism employs nearly 150 thousand people and the total income from tourism was 4 billion euros in 2008. One of Hungary’s top tourist destinations is Lake Balaton, the largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, with a number of 1,2 million visitors in 2008. The most visited region is Budapest, the Hungarian capital attracted 3,61 million visitors in 2008.Hungary was the world’s 26th most visited country in 2007.

Slovakia[link]

High-rise buildings at Mlynské Nivy, Bratislava's business district

The smallest V4 economy is Slovakia (GDP of USD 127.111 billion total, 60th in the world). Along with the Czech Republic, Slovakia was the most developed country of the Eastern Bloc. The first years after the revolution in 1989 saw stagnation. At the end of the 1990s, the economy grew and attracted much investment. Today Slovakia is an advanced industrial nation.

The automotive industry is important to the Slovak economy. Cars produced are Volkswagen, Peugeot, Citroen and Kia. Another important industry is electronics. Near the city of Nitra is Sony's Japanese factory. The Korean company Samsung also has a factory in Slovakia. The metals, mining and quarrying and food-processing industries are important. Slovak industry has good prospects and is expected to grow rapidly.^{[citation needed]}

Slovakia has a developed agriculture. Mostly grown is corn, but also wine, especially in Bratislava and the surrounding Tokaj region. In the Tatra Mountains and other high land there is breeding of domestic animals - sheep and cattle. Peppers and potatoes are grown.

Demographics[link]

The population is 64,301,710 inhabitants, which would rank 22nd largest in the world and 4th in Europe if V4 was a single country. Most people live in Poland (38 million), followed by the Czech Republic (nearly 11 million), Hungary (nearly 10 million) and Slovakia (5.5 million).

Visegrád group members with their national flags

Presidents of V4 at the meeting in Sopot in 2009

Rotating presidency[link]

The country holding the Group's presidency changes each year, in June:

International Visegrad Fund[link]

SÚZA in Bratislava, seat of the International Visegrád Fund

Visegrád

The only organization of the Visegrad co-operation is the International Visegrad Fund, established in 1999, with its seat in Bratislava. According to a decision of the prime ministers, the Fund has an annual budget of EUR 5 million since 2007 onwards and EUR 7 million since 2012. In 11 annual deadlines and irregular calls for proposals the Fund awards grants, scholarships and artist residencies.

Initiatives[link]

Visegrád Battlegroup[link]

On 12 May 2011, Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich said that Poland will lead a new battlegroup of the Visegrad Group. The decision was made at the V4 defense ministers' meeting in Levoca, Slovakia, and the battlegroup would become operational and be placed on standby in the first half of 2016. The ministers also agreed that the V4 militaries should hold regular exercises under the auspices of the NATO Response Force, with the first such exercise to be held in Poland in 2013.

Visegrad Scholarship Program[link]

The continually expanding Visegrad Scholarship Program awards individual mobility stipends from the International Visegrád Fund for students of Master's or postgraduate levels. Students from the following countries and territories are eligible for the scholarships: the Visegrad Group countries (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), also Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kosovo, the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Russia and Ukraine.

Expert Working Group on Energy[link]

In 2002, Hungary initiated establishment of an Expert Working Group on Energy. This expert group meets once or twice a year in V4 capitals on a rotation basis, and the head of the host country delegation always chairs the meeting.

On 27 April 2006, the V4 WG on Energy met in Prague with the aim of discussing recommendations for V4 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, including energy research and development.
• Recommendation to consider development of emergency natural gas storage.
• Recommendation to consider construction of new gas and oil pipelines and of new naval LNG terminals.
• Recommendations in the field of interconnecting power transmission grids.

See also[link]

• Inner Six

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official portal of the Visegrád Group
• International Visegrád Fund official homepage
• The Visegrad Review - Interdisciplinary Journal
• Cooperation of Visegrád Four Member Countries (V-4) in energy
• Visegrád Summer School in Villa Decius, Krakow, Poland

Links to related articles v t e Visegrád Group  Czech Republic ·  Hungary ·  Poland ·  Slovakia v t e Foreign relations of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Kosovo Nagorno-Karabakh Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other territories Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Jersey Isle of Man Svalbard Other entities European Union Sovereign Military Order of Malta

Visegrád
Visegrád Location of Visegrád
Coordinates: 47°47′05″N 18°58′25″E / 47.78483°N 18.97367°E / 47.78483; 18.97367Coordinates: 47°47′05″N 18°58′25″E / 47.78483°N 18.97367°E / 47.78483; 18.97367
Country	Hungary
County	Pest
Area
• Total	33.27 km2 (12.85 sq mi)
Population (2004)
• Total	1,711
• Density	51.42/km2 (133.2/sq mi)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	2025
Area code(s)	26

Visegrád (pronounced [ˈviʃɛɡraːd], Slovak: Vyšehrad) is a small castle town in Pest County, Hungary.

Situated north of Budapest on the right bank of the Danube in the Danube Bend, Visegrád has a population 1,654 as of 2001. Visegrád is famous for the remains of the Early Renaissance summer palace of King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary and the medieval citadel.

Etymology[link]

The name Visegrád (Vyšehrad) is of Slavic origin meaning "the upper castle" or "the upper settlement/town/fortification". In modern Slovak and Czech the spelling is Vyšehrad. There is a town in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the same name - Višegrad, famous for its Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge.

In German, the town is called Plintenburg.

History[link]

Visegrád was first mentioned in 1009 as a county town and the chief town of an archdeaconry. After the destructive Mongol invasion of Europe in 1242, the town was rebuilt in a slightly different location to the south. King Charles I of Hungary made Visegrád, his hometown, the royal seat of Hungary in 1325.

In 1335, Charles hosted at Visegrád a two-month congress with the Bohemian king, John of Luxembourg, and the Polish king, Casimir III. It was crucial in creating a peace between the three kingdoms and securing an alliance between Poland and Hungary against Habsburg Austria. Another congress followed in 1338.

Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Hungary, moved the royal seat to Buda between 1405-1408. King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary used Visegrád as a country residence.

Visegrád lost importance after the partition of the Kingdom of Hungary following the Battle of Mohács in 1526.

In 1991, the leading politicians of Hungary, Czechoslovakia, and Poland met here to form a periodical forum between these countries, the Visegrád group, with an intentional allusion to the meeting centuries earlier in 1335.

Visegrád was granted town privileges in 2000.

Monuments[link]

Visegrád Castle

The castle at the time of King Matthias' reign

Upper Castle[link]

After the Mongol invasion, King Béla IV of Hungary and his wife had a new fortification system constructed in the 1240-50s near the one destroyed earlier. The first part of the new system was the Upper Castle on top of a high hill. The castle was laid out on a triangular ground plan and had three towers at its corners. In the 14th century, at the time of the Angevin kings of Hungary, the castle became a royal residence and was enlarged with a new curtain wall and palace buildings. Around 1400 King Sigismund also had a third curtain wall constructed and enlarged the palace buildings. At the end of the 15th century, King Matthias Corvinus had the interior part of the castle renovated. The Upper Castle also served for the safekeeping of the Hungarian royal insignia between the 14th century and 1526. In 1544 Visegrád was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, and, apart from a short period in 1595-1605, it remained in Turkish hands until 1685. The castle was seriously damaged by the Turks and was never used afterwards. The castle is now open to the public for visit.

Lower Castle[link]

The Lower Castle is the part of the fortification system that connects the Upper Castle with the Danube. In its centre rises the Solomon Tower, a large, hexagonal residential tower dating from the 13th century. In the 14th century, new curtain walls were built around the tower. During a Turkish raid in 1544, the southern part of the tower collapsed. Its renovation began only in the 1870s and was finished in the 1960s. At present, the Tower houses exhibitions installed by the King Matthias Museum (Mátyás Király Múzeum) of Visegrád. The exhibitions present the reconstructed Gothic fountains from the Royal Palace, Renaissance sculpture in Visegrád, and the history of Visegrád.

Royal Palace[link]

The first royal house on this site was built by King Charles I of Hungary after 1325. In the second half of the 14th century, this was enlarged into a palace by his son, King Louis I of Hungary. In the last third of the 14th century, King Louis and his successor Sigismund of Luxembourg had the majority of the earlier buildings dismantled and created a new, sumptuous palace complex, the extensive ruins of which are still visible today. The palace complex was laid out on a square ground plan measuring 123 x 123 m. A garden adjoined to it from the north and a Franciscan friary, founded by King Sigismund in 1424, from the south. In the time of Louis I and Sigismund, the palace was the official residence of the kings of Hungary until about 1405-08. Between 1477-84 Matthias Corvinus had the palace complex reconstructed in late Gothic style. The Italian Renaissance architectural style was used for decoration, the first time the style appeared in Europe outside Italy. After the Ottoman Turks' siege in 1544 the palace fell into ruins, and by the 18th century it was completely covered by earth. Its excavation began in 1934 and continues today. At present, the reconstructed royal residence building is open to the public, and houses exhibitions on the history of the palace and reconstructed historical interiors.

Sibrik Hill[link]

The ruins of this military camp can be seen outside Visegrád, to the north, on a hill that overlooks the Danube. The camp has a triangular ground plan. It was built in the first half of the 4th century as one of the important fortifications along the limes, the frontier of the Roman Empire. Its praetorium (the commander's building) was constructed at the end of the 4th century. In the early 5th century, the Roman army abandoned the military camp. In the 10th and 11th centuries, the fortification, rebuilt as a castle, became a regional centre of the recently formed Hungarian state. "Visegrád" appears for the first time as the name of this regional centre (1009). The fortification was finally destroyed in 1242 by the Mongol invasion of Europe.

People[link]

Photo gallery[link]

External links[link]

• Visegrád home page
• Street map (Hungarian)
• Aerial photography: Visegrád (Hungarian)

v t e Pest County County seat: Budapest (not part of the county) Cities and towns Abony Albertirsa Aszód Biatorbágy Budakalász Budakeszi Budaörs Cegléd Dabas Dunaharaszti Dunakeszi Dunavarsány Érd Fót Göd Gödöllő Gyál Gyömrő Halásztelek Isaszeg Kistarcsa Maglód Monor Nagykáta Nagykőrös Nagymaros Ócsa Örkény Pécel Pilis Pilisvörösvár Pomáz Ráckeve Százhalombatta Szentendre Szigethalom Szigetszentmiklós Szob Tápiószele Tököl Törökbálint Tura Üllő Vác Vecsés Veresegyház Visegrád Zsámbék Villages Acsa Alsónémedi Apaj Áporka Bag Bernecebaráti Bénye Budajenő Bugyi Ceglédbercel Csemő Csévharaszt Csobánka Csomád Csömör Csörög Csővár Dánszentmiklós Dány Délegyháza Diósd Domony Dömsöd Dunabogdány Ecser Erdőkertes Farmos Felsőpakony Galgagyörk Galgahévíz Galgamácsa Gomba Herceghalom Hernád Hévízgyörk Iklad Inárcs Ipolydamásd Ipolytölgyes Jászkarajenő Kakucs Kartal Káva Kemence Kerepes Kiskunlacháza Kismaros Kisnémedi Kisoroszi Kocsér Kosd Kóspallag Kóka Kőröstetétlen Leányfalu Letkés Lórév Majosháza Makád Márianosztra Mende Mikebuda Mogyoród Nagybörzsöny Nagykovácsi Nagytarcsa Nyáregyháza Nyársapát Őrbottyán Pánd Páty Penc Perbál Perőcsény Péteri Pilisborosjenő Piliscsaba Pilisjászfalu Pilisszántó Pilisszentiván Pilisszentkereszt Pilisszentlászló Pócsmegyer Pusztavacs Pusztazámor Püspökhatvan Püspökszilágy Rád Remeteszőlős Solymár Sóskút Sülysáp Szada Szentlőrinckáta Szentmártonkáta Szigetbecse Szigetcsép Szigetmonostor Szigetszentmárton Szigetújfalu Szokolya Sződ Sződliget Tahitótfalu Taksony Tatárszentgyörgy Táborfalva Tápióbicske Tápiógyörgye Tápióság Tápiószecső Tápiószentmárton Tápiószőlős Tárnok Telki Tésa Tinnye Tóalmás Tök Törtel Újhartyán Újlengyel Újszilvás Úri Üröm Valkó Vasad Vácduka Vácegres Váchartyán Váckisújfalu Vácrátót Vácszentlászló Vámosmikola Verőce Verseg Zebegény Zsámbok Other topics History Geography Government Economy Culture Tourism

Vesna Pusić
Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
Incumbent
Assumed office 23 December 2011
Prime Minister	Zoran Milanović
Preceded by	Gordan Jandroković
President of the Croatian People's Party
In office 2000–2008
Preceded by	Radimir Čačić
Succeeded by	Radimir Čačić
Personal details
Born	(1953-04-25) 25 April 1953 (age 59) Zagreb, SR Croatia, SFR Yugoslavia
Political party	Croatian People's Party
Religion	Atheist[1]
Website	vesna-pusic.hns.hr

Vesna Pusić (pronounced [ʋɛ̂sna pǔːsitɕ]; born 25 March 1953) is a Croatian politician and one of the most prominent members of the liberal Croatian People's Party. Since December 2011 she serves as Croatia's Foreign Minister in the centre-left Cabinet of Zoran Milanović.

After becoming involved in politics in the early 1990s, Pusić served three consecutive terms as MP, having been elected to the Croatian Parliament in the 2000, 2003, and 2007 elections. She also ran in the 2009–10 presidential election, coming in fifth with 7.25 percent of the vote. During her 2008–2011 parliament term she chaired the parliamentary committee for tracking the progress of Croatia's accession negotiations with the European Union.

Pusić also held the post of Vice-President of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR). She is known as an outspoken liberal, and a vocal advocate of European integration, gender equality and LGBT rights.

Biography[link]

Vesna Pusić was born in Zagreb, Croatia, Yugoslavia to the family of Eugen Pusić, a professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb and Višnja Pusić, a professor of English language.^[2] Her brother Zoran is known as a civil rights and peace activist.

She graduated from gymnasium in 1971 and then from the Faculty of Philosophy in Zagreb, sociology and philosophy,^[3] in 1976. From 1975 to 1979 she was a member of the IDE - International Research Group doing research on industrial democracy in Europe. From 1976 to 1978 she was a researcher at the Institute of Sociology at the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.^[2]

Since 1978 she has been working at the Sociology Department of the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Zagreb, and teaching courses in the Theory of Industrial Democracy and the Sociology of Politics. She obtained a doctorate in sociology in 1984 at the same faculty, and in 1988 she became a tenured professor.^[2][3]

In 1978 Pusić was one of seven women who initiated the first feminist organization in SFR Yugoslavia Žena i društvo, and was widely criticized by the authorities at the time.^[2]

Vesna Pusić was one of the 28 founding members of the Croatian People's Party (Hrvatska narodna stranka, HNS) in 1990, after participating in the Coalition of People's Accord. She left party politics in 1992, but rejoined the same party in 1997 and was later its President between 2000 and 2008. She first entered the Parliament on the Croatian parliamentary election, 2000.

In 1992 Pusić was the co-founder and director of the Erasmus Guild, a non-governmental, non-partisan think-tank for the culture of democracy, and the publisher and editor of the journal Erasmus, focusing specifically on different issues of transition in Croatia, countries of former Yugoslavia and Eastern Europe.^[2] Erasmus Guild ceased operations in 1998.

In 2005 and 2008^[4][5] she was made the head of the National Committee for EU negotiations, the body that oversees accession negotiations and is composed of members of parliament as well as representatives of the President, the academic community, and employers and union representatives.

In 2006 and 2008 she was elected vice-president of ELDR.^[2]

Pusić lectured at the University of Chicago, at the Cornell University (New York), and at the American University (Washington D.C.), as well as the Wilson Center.^[2]

She lives in Zagreb with her husband. Her daughter currently lives in London and studies MA Filmmaking at the prestigious London Film School.

Vesna Pusić is very popular in the Croatian LGBT community. In 2011 Zagreb Pride attenders awarded her with the "gay friendly person of the decade"^[6]. She has been regular attendant at Zagreb LGBT pride march.^[7]

In the Croatian presidential election, 2009–2010, Pusić was the HNS-LD candidate. She won 7.25% in the first round, placing fifth out of twelve candidates, and was thus eliminated from the second round.

Bibliography[link]

• Democracies and Dictatorships, Durieux, Zagreb 1998
• The Leaders and the Managers, Novi Liber, Zagreb 1992
• Industrial Democracy and Civil Society, Sociološko društvo Hrvatske, Zagreb 1986.
• Industrial Democracy in Europe, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981 (co-author)
• European Industrial Relations, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1981 (co-author)

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vesna Pusić

• Official website (Croatian)
• "Abandoning the War Mentality". interview with Vesna Pusic. Central Europe Review. 27 April 2000. http://www.ce-review.org/00/19/interview19_pusic.html.