The German chancellor suggested that majority voting be used in certain areas.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Monday for EU members not to exercise their right of veto to vote in favour of majority voting in several key areas. Such a move could facilitate the bloc’s future expansion.
Scholz spoke at Charles University, Prague. He suggested that changing voting procedures could help grow the EU. This is because any member of the bloc can veto an applicant country’s accession. Scholz also proposed that majority voting be introduced on several pressing issues, such as sanctions and human right violations.
“Each additional member states increases the likelihood of a particular country opposing the progress made by all other countries in cases where unanimity is needed today.,” the German chancellor said.
According to Scholz, “The principle of unanimity is only valid as long as there’s not enough pressure to act,” citing the example of Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine, which has challenged the way the EU approaches policymaking.
The German leader also wants the EU to switch to majority voting in areas such as taxation and foreign policy, adding that he knows “It is well-known that Germany would feel the effects.”
Scholz stated that Berlin is in favor of EU enlargement and said that Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova and Moldova would all eventually join the bloc. This will undoubtedly lead to more disagreements among its members.
As things stand now, any one of the 27 EU member countries can override the decision made by another country. This gives small states significant leverage on the bloc’s policies, which can at times paralyze decision-making.
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