The veto power of EU member states is increasingly under attack as some countries appear to be abusing it or using it as a tool of blackmail. Hungary, for example, recently vetoed a support package for Ukraine to award the grants itself. But abolishing the right of veto is another matter: unanimity is needed for this.
But there are certainly arguments for wanting to abolish the veto, according to FD reporter Ria Cats. ‘It’s just being used more and more by countries to hold a certain file hostage, and Hungary is a well-known example of this. However, they are not the only ones.’
Cats cites Cyprus as an example, which supported sanctions against Belarus two years ago but would only agree if the EU also imposed sanctions on Turkey. “Only because Cyprus suffered because of Turkey,” Cats continues. ‘These are files that have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but that’s why the decision-making process in Belarus has taken so long. Hungary also increasingly doubts the sanctions against Russia, and at an earlier stage even Italy toyed with the idea of stopping the sanctions against Russia for its own benefit. At the time of De Krim’s invasion.’
Nuisance
This leads to huge annoyance among the rest of the member states, Cats points out. “They’re very annoyed, because they want to move on,” she says. As an example, he mentions the boycott of Russian oil, which was stopped by Hungary for a long time. ‘Moreover, they did not want the patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church (Kyrill, ed) to be on the sanctions list. Only when he was removed from the sanctions list did Hungary agree”.
Dutch vetoes
According to Amy Verdun, a professor of European politics and political economy at Leiden University, the Netherlands also has a hand in using vetoes. “A recent example from 2022 was the Netherlands’ disagreement with Austria on allowing Bulgaria and Romania to join the Schengen area,” she says. “So this shows that there are always times when member states feel the need to veto.”
Verdun says the discussion now is mostly about whether such a veto could be better designed. “So that it can’t be used for strategic reasons,” he continues. ‘In strategic decisions, where it is clear that politics is being made, a veto interrupts the decision-making process. For example, Holland is accused of having vetoed it shortly before the elections, making it clear that it is interested in Europe’.
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
