EU SPENDING ON VISEGRAD GROUP COUNTRIES AND THEIR SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN 2000 AND 2023

Abstract

This article analyses the relationship between European Union spending on individual Visegrad Group countries (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) and the level of socio-economic development of these countries between 2000 and 2023. The research hypothesis was that the level of socio-economic development of these countries is positively correlated with EU expenditure directed towards them. This study uses the socio-economic development indicator developed by Akimjak, Marzec, and Krawczyk (2025), based on eleven diagnostic characteristics across the economic, social, and environmental domains. Correlation analysis showed a strong, statistically significant (at the 0.01 level) positive relationship between EU spending and socio-economic development across all Visegrad Group countries. The strength of the correlation varies across countries and development components. For Hungary, no statistically significant correlation was found for the economic development component, whereas it was positive and significant in the other countries. The results confirm that financial support from the European Union has accelerated socio-economic development in the Visegrad Group countries.