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Eleven EU countries call for qualified-majority voting in some foreign-policy decisions
🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Eleven EU countries call for qualified-majority voting in some foreign-policy decisions

From N1 Serbia · () Serbian

Translated from Serbian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Sweden made the proposal in a letter to EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas.
  • The countries said consensus should support joint action rather than block it, while opponents warn that qualified voting could weaken safeguards for smaller member states.
  • Any change would require agreement from all EU members, allowing countries opposed to ending veto powers to block the reform.

Eleven European Union countries want the bloc to examine qualified-majority voting for some foreign-policy decisions, challenging a system that allows one member to block action by all the others.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and Sweden set out their position in a letter to EU foreign-policy chief Kaja Kallas. They said the EU should preserve consensus where possible, but prevent it from becoming an obstacle to joint action.

“Consensus is an important source of the Union’s legitimacy. Therefore, we continue to strive for consensus wherever possible. But we must also ensure that this culture of consensus promotes joint action rather than preventing it. Otherwise, we will have legitimacy, but not strength,” the countries wrote.

The proposal includes more frequent use of constructive abstention instead of a veto, avoiding links between foreign-policy decisions and unrelated issues, and exploring the so-called passerelle clause in Article 31 of the Treaty on European Union. That clause could provide a route toward qualified-majority voting without a full treaty change.

The debate reflects repeated disputes over the current rules, including Hungary’s use of vetoes under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to block or delay EU decisions. Hungary also blocked a 90 billion euro financial aid package for Ukraine earlier this year. Supporters say qualified voting would help the EU respond more quickly, while critics fear it would reduce protection for smaller states. France and Germany are also advocating a stronger role for Kallas and closer coordination with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Consensus is an important source of the Union’s legitimacy. Therefore, we continue to strive for consensus wherever possible. But we must also ensure that this culture of consensus promotes joint action rather than preventing it. Otherwise, we will have legitimacy, but not strength.

— Eleven EU member statesThe countries used the letter to Kaja Kallas to argue that consensus should not prevent collective action.
About this summary

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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