Von der Leyen Urges EU to Abandon Unanimity

2025-09-11 07:36:40

(MENAFN) European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has urged the elimination of the unanimity rule in the European Union’s foreign policy decisions, stressing that the bloc must act more swiftly on sanctions, defense assistance, and related measures.

Delivering her yearly state of the union speech to the European Parliament on Wednesday, von der Leyen declared it was necessary to “break free from the shackles of unanimity” and transition towards qualified majority voting in certain areas of external policy.

At present, all 27 member nations must provide consent for any resolution to be adopted.

Von der Leyen argued this mechanism has hindered the EU’s ability to respond effectively to emergencies and emphasized that majority voting would prevent individual states from obstructing initiatives supported by the rest.

Her statements immediately faced resistance from Slovakia and Hungary, both of which have pledged to wield their veto power against measures they believe undermine national interests.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico cautioned that abolishing the veto would “spell the end of the bloc” and might even serve as “the precursor of a huge military conflict.”

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