The European Commission has greenlit a plan for reforms in the expansion of the EU. The plan proposes a shift from unanimous decision-making in the European Council to qualified majority voting.
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| Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Fredi Beleri in Himare in the electoral campaign in Albania, Dec 22, 2022 |
This change aims to prevent smaller countries from selfishly obstructing the integration of new countries into the European Union for their own interests.
"Some member states resist the shift from unanimity to qualified majority voting, fearing they might be isolated from matters of strategic national interest. However, the Commission believes it's possible to move away from unanimity without jeopardizing the strategic interests of member states. In a larger union, unanimity becomes even harder to achieve, posing an added risk to decision-making as it could be blocked by a single member state," states the Commission.
The draft conclusion of the European Commission against the removal of veto rights in foreign and enlargement policy is particularly concerning for smaller member states. They fear being overridden and thus unable to protect specific national interests.
In this context, Albania is threatened by Greece's veto in the accession process regarding the "Beleri" issue. Examples of the blockage of candidate integration processes by a single EU member state, as was the case with Bulgaria and North Macedonia, have led to increased demands for at least the removal of veto rights in some cases.
Furthermore, this plan will prevent Hungary from blocking the EU financial budget again. After approval by the European Commission for internal EU reforms prior to expansion, it will also be discussed in the European Council by member states.