Germany supports the shift to decision-making through a qualified majority system
The European Union must abandon the principle of unanimity for the sake of efficiency. Issues with certain states are calling the EU’s effectiveness into question.
This was reported by RBK-Ukraine, citing a statement made for Tagesschau by German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
According to Wadephul, the EU’s ability to act is threatened by obstacles that are artificially created by “certain countries.” Germany hopes that a decision to abandon the principle of unanimity will soon be made within the EU.
“To be an effective player on the international stage, to truly reach maturity, we in the EU must abolish the principle of unanimity in foreign policy and security policy before the end of this legislative term,” the minister noted.
Wadephul added that Germany supports the transition to decision-making through a qualified majority system. This means that a majority of votes will be sufficient for decisions, so the position of the aforementioned “certain countries” will not play a significant role.
“All our experience over the past weeks in assisting Ukraine and imposing sanctions against Russia supports this,” he concluded.
EU loan for Ukraine and sabotage
At the end of 2025, the EU agreed to provide Ukraine with a loan of 90 billion euros for two years. However, Ukraine cannot access this money from the European Union because Hungary is blocking the procedural decision for the transfer of funds.
President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that unblocking the EU loan is critically important for Ukraine and its defense capabilities. Without funding, the army and drone production will suffer.
However, the problem lies in the fact that decisions such as providing loans or continuing anti-Russian sanctions in the EU are made exclusively on the principle of unanimity. Such decisions must be supported by all members of the bloc.
This is precisely what Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and another pro-Russian figure, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, are exploiting. The latter has also threatened that his country could block further loans for Ukraine.
