The events of recent months have shown that a serious problem at the moment is the veto on expansion manipulated by certain countries. Therefore, the EU intends to abolish the right of such veto so that the will of the majority becomes the main factor, rather than unanimous position. It is known that the majority of EU members support such a change.
This was reported by Germany’s Minister for Europe, Annalena Baerbock. The issue is that without a veto, the opinion of the minority of members is ignored, while with the use of a veto, sometimes all members except one or two are disregarded. Recent times have shown that this is being abused more and more, and the true interests of the union are not pursued, but become a factor of manipulation by third political forces.
How to rein in veto-wielders
However, implementing such changes is not easy. Annalena Baerbock explains that meticulous legal work is needed to ensure the legality of the innovation. The goal is to ensure that the technical intermediate steps on the path of membership candidates are not constantly blocked. Support from the majority of current EU members has already been obtained. It is known that 16 out of 27 countries have embraced the initiative.
But there is an important nuance: in order to make a final decision, a unanimous decision will still be necessary in the end, and it is already clear that those countries which constantly apply the veto right will vote against it.
Should we expect Hungary to abide by the rules?
But Baerbock herself is optimistic and believes that progress on this issue is possible. However, the matter is complicated by the fact that as of July 1, Hungary will assume the presidency of the EU, which is a vivid example of users of the veto right. It is important to remember that the presidency does not imply a decisive role, but rather a functional intermediation that should not be abused. Hungary must adhere to specific rules concerning negotiations on Ukraine’s accession to the EU and fulfill its duties.
Anna Lyurmаnn also noted that the reboot of European Union leadership, which is actively ongoing after the elections to the European Parliament, does not necessarily have to delay the start of negotiations, although many foresee such a scenario. It is planned that discussions will begin as soon as June 25, and there will be several stages at the technical level. The European Commission theoretically is not required for this.
Blocking Ukraine’s EU Accession
- Let us remind that in December of last year Ukraine received permission to start negotiations on accession to the EU. For this purpose, the necessary decisions were adopted in the EU, including the approval of the negotiating framework.
- However, Hungary has blocked this decision several times, citing concerns about Ukraine’s policy towards national minorities.
- At the same time, there were no objections from Budapest regarding the start of negotiations with Moldova.
- Recently it became known that EU ambassadors have approved the negotiating framework for Ukraine’s accession to the EU. Negotiations will begin on June 25.
- At the same time, Hungary supported the start of negotiations regarding Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, as Kyiv met Budapest’s requirements.
