Eleven EU states call for veto to be abolished in foreign policy: “There is legitimacy, but no power

A group of 11 European Union member states, including Germany, France and Austria, is calling on the bloc to gradually abandon unanimity in foreign policy and replace it with a qualified majority voting system.

In an official communication addressed to EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, the countries argue that the spirit of agreement is essential to the Union’s credibility, but should not become a tool for blocking joint initiatives. “We must ensure that this consensual spirit encourages joint action rather than stopping it—otherwise we risk having legitimacy without real power,” the document states.

Under the current legal framework, every decision in the area of foreign policy requires unanimous approval, giving each state the right to veto and block a position supported by the majority. This mechanism has been repeatedly used by former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has instrumentalized the power to block in order to secure concessions from his European partners.

The initiative by the 11 countries proposes activating a “passerelle clause” provided for under Article 31, which would allow unanimity to be abandoned in favor of a qualified majority in specific cases. Supporters of the reform emphasize that it would speed up processes and prevent deadlocks, while some smaller states that oppose it fear they would lose a powerful lever for protecting their national interests. The reform nevertheless faces a procedural dilemma: the decision to abolish unanimity must itself be taken unanimously, thus giving opponents the opportunity to block it from the outset.

In a parallel development, Germany and France have submitted a proposal to strengthen Kaja Kallas’s position in EU foreign policy by placing her under the direct authority of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.