EU Commission seeks to curb national vetoes if bloc expands

The European Commission wants to limit national vetoes on certain decisions if the EU expands, according to a 6 October report by Dutch news agency ANP. The proposal, which ANP said was due to be presented that Tuesday, would allow decisions on sanctions, energy taxation and tax fraud to pass by a qualified majority rather than requiring every country’s agreement. [1]

That majority would require the backing of at least 55% of EU countries representing at least 65% of the bloc’s population. ANP says the Commission also wants the threshold to apply to votes on opening and closing accession negotiations with candidate countries. [1]

The wider plan would set tougher conditions for new members. Under the reported proposal, a new member that failed to comply with EU rules could lose its veto during a probationary period, if a majority of the other countries agreed. That period would last between three and 15 years, depending on the policy area. The plan would also include road maps for Montenegro, Albania, Moldova and Ukraine, which ANP describes as the four candidates furthest along towards membership. [1]