What the study found
The study finds that the Visegrad four (V4: Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) recognized both the threats and opportunities in the European Union’s renewed industrial policy, but generally did not take active steps to shape it. When they did intervene, they usually pushed EU instruments back toward traditional liberal market principles.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors suggest this matters because EU industrial policy is being presented as “open strategic autonomy,” but the study concludes that this shift is still limited by older liberal ideas and by smaller member states’ preference for the liberal status quo. The findings indicate that this can leave more proactive supranational industrial policy underused, even when domestic politics in these countries may differ.
What the researchers tested
The researchers examined how V4 policy-makers responded to two EU industrial policy instruments: Important Projects of Common European Interest and foreign direct investment (FDI) screening, which is a policy for reviewing and potentially restricting overseas investment for security or strategic reasons. The article focuses on how these governments interpreted and reacted to the EU-level revival of industrial policy.
What worked and what didn't
The analysis suggests that the EU’s focus on “European champions” may steer investment toward core regions and firms, possibly at the expense of peripheral ones. At the same time, the emphasis on European value creation and production networks could create new opportunities for the region’s weak growth model. However, the V4 mostly did not actively shape the instruments and instead tended to defend liberal market principles.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not provide detailed country-by-country results beyond the V4 as a group. It also does not describe limitations, data sources, or the full evidence used in the analysis.
Key points
- The Visegrad four recognized both risks and opportunities in the EU’s revived industrial policy.
- They rarely took active steps to shape two EU instruments: Important Projects of Common European Interest and FDI screening.
- When they did intervene, they usually pushed the instruments toward traditional liberal market principles.
- The authors suggest the EU’s “open strategic autonomy” remains constrained by liberal ideas and by smaller members’ preference for the status quo.
- The abstract says a focus on European champions may favor core regions, while value-creation and production networks could open opportunities for the region.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- V4 states mostly preserved liberal stance on EU industrial policy
- Authors:
- Vera Šćepanović, Imre G. Szabó
- Institutions:
- Leiden University, Corvinus University of Budapest
- Publication date:
- 2026-04-19
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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