German Foreign Minister Johann Wadeful , who called on Europe to learn from Ukraine's successes in the war and invest in the latest security technologies, advocated the abolition of the veto right over decisions of the Council of the European Union.
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“Qualified majority voting is the main lever for Brussels to move faster, especially in the area of common foreign and security policy,” Wadeful said in his speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
Together with the members of the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union adopts legislation proposed by the Commission, most often by a qualified majority (at least 55% of the member states representing 65% of the European population). However, certain texts concerning foreign policy (sanctions, EU enlargement, etc.) or taxation can only be adopted unanimously by the 27 members, writes the French newspaper Le Monde.
With the end of unanimity, Berlin will not “give up on the search for consensus,” promises Johann Wadeful, for whom it is important to end “the blockages that have sometimes held the EU hostage to national and foreign interests.”
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He did not mention Viktor Orban, whose defeat in the Hungarian elections on April 12 brought enormous relief to the EU, which had been forced to deal for sixteen years with a prime minister who blocked a number of issues, including Ukraine.
“When it comes to security issues, the principle of unanimity can put us in a situation of existential danger. We see this every day in Ukraine,” Johann Wadeful emphasized.
On EU enlargement, he proposes a “phased” accession process to “remove the reservations of some members” who fear accession that is considered “premature.”
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Meanwhile, media reports suggest that Putin may escalate in Europe and expand the conflict in order to avoid concessions regarding Ukraine.