Europe

11 EU States Call to End Foreign Policy Veto Powers

Is the veto an act of bad faith blocking urgent action or a vital safeguard protecting sovereign nations?

2 hours ago·Updated 1 hour ago

11 EU States Call to End Foreign Policy Veto Powers

Story

Above: European Commission High Representative and Vice President Kaja Kallas in Wicklow, Ireland, on Sept. 1. Image credit: Paul Faith/AFP/Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Repeated vetoes used as leverage for unrelated concessions are a violation of the EU's foundational treaty obligations. The passerelle clause already exists and can immediately shift foreign policy to majority voting without requiring full treaty revision. The bloc can no longer allow a single bad-faith actor to paralyze the entire union during times of increasing international instability.

Bruegel Euractiv

Establishment-critical narrative

Abolishing the veto won't create shared strategic interests where they do not exist. The EU, despite the fantasies of federalists, is not a sovereign nation, and the veto is an essential guarantee that high-stakes foreign policy stays accountable to the actual countries that form the European bloc. If member states cannot reach a unanimous agreement, then more effort should be placed towards reaching consensus instead of forcing through the ideologies of but a few.

Andrea Čepová on X European Conservative