Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda proposes that EU negotiation chapters with candidate countries like Ukraine should be opened through qualified majority voting, while overall decisions on EU enlargement should remain unanimous.
In a recent interview, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda proposed a change to the decision-making process within the European Union regarding the accession negotiations with candidate countries, specifically mentioning Ukraine. Currently, all EU member states must agree unanimously on such decisions, which has led to a stalemate, particularly due to opposition from Hungary. Nausėda suggests that the negotiation chapters should be opened based on a qualified majority vote, allowing for a more flexible and efficient approach to the integration of new member states.
Nausėda's proposal indicates a desire to move away from bureaucratic paralysis caused by the unanimity principle, where one or two countries can block progress. He emphasizes that while negotiation processes could be handled by qualified majority votes, the final decision on EU enlargement still needs to be made unanimously. This differentiation aims to streamline negotiations while preserving the essential agreement on significant enlargement decisions.
This proposal comes at a critical time as Ukraine strives for EU membership and faces challenges related to its ongoing conflict and relations with neighboring countries. By advocating for a mixed voting system, Nausėda hopes to mitigate the impacts of veto power and enhance the EU's ability to expand and address pressing geopolitical dynamics effectively.
