Following Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), CSU European policy expert Manfred Weber has also questioned the unanimity principle within the EU. Speaking to the Funke media group’s newspapers, the party and parliamentary group leader of the European People’s Party stated, “In these geopolitically turbulent times, we absolutely need an effective Europe”. He added that “an Europe where the slowest members dictate the pace or where individual states can block everything with their veto, will become a plaything for Trump, Putin, and Xi Jinping”.
Wadephul had previously told the Funke papers that, “To be an effective international actor and truly mature, we should abolish the unanimity principle in foreign and security policy within the EU”. He advocated for a system of qualified majority voting, noting that “all the experience we have gained in recent weeks regarding aid for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia supports this” particularly in light of Hungary.
Currently, the government in Hungary, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, is blocking a 90-billion-euro EU loan package intended for Ukraine. Furthermore, Hungary is scheduled to elect a new parliament on April 12, and Orbán’s continued tenure is uncertain, with the opposition party and its top candidate, Peter Magyar, showing a significant lead in polls.
Weber stated that “the Greenland crisis has shown how strong Europe is when we act quickly, cohesively, and with one voice, and defend our interests decisively. This very capacity for action is what we need now in foreign and security policy”. He commended Wadephul’s initiative, saying, “It is correct and necessary that Germany takes the lead and assumes responsibility here, because only together, as Europeans, can we survive”.
