7 hours agoDiscussions about enlargement, The Guardian: EU could deny new members veto
Periskopi(a month ago)
(a month ago)The EU can deny future member states veto rights for several years, in an effort to make enlargement more politically acceptable, while the bloc is undergoing a push to accept new countries before the end of the decade.
According to plans under the European Commission, future member states such as Moldova and the Western Balkan countries will not have, after EU membership, the automatic right to veto foreign policy decisions or other issues unanimously agreed upon, such as taxation, writes The Guardian.
The idea is particularly important for Montenegro, the leader among nine official EU candidate countries. The former Yugoslav republic, with 64,000 inhabitants, is competing to become the 28th EU member state by 2028. This month, a technical group tasked with drafting Montenegro's accession treaty met for the first time -- a sign that 14-year-old negotiations were entering the final stages.
The idea arose after a difficult experience with Hungary, whose former pro-Russian government, led by Victor Orbán, vetoed several major EU decisions, particularly a 90 billion-euro loan to Ukraine.
A limited time ban on veto powers could be written in Montenegro's accession treaty, which would serve as a model for others waiting on the eve.
In a particular development, Germany's Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, wrote to EU leaders last week asking for <x0-> innovative resolution” to speed up EU accession for Western Balkan countries. In a letter describing the enlargement of the EU as a “geopolitical democratity”, Merz also called for “associated membership for Ukraine” as a crucial “step on Ukraine's road towards full membership”. /Periscope/
