Kallas: Unanimity principle makes EU slow in times of crisis

The principle of unanimity in decision-making slows down the European Union and reduces its effectiveness in crisis situations, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said at the annual conference of the European Defence Agency (EDA), which she chairs, Report informs.

"But unanimity is also used by some as a bargaining tool. And it cannot be that one country's veto defines the policy for others. So we need to think about how to make our procedures more effective. Let's face it, Europe can be slow. Unanimity means we cannot always act at the speed of relevance," she stated, proposing to examine the provisions of the EU Treaties, including constructive abstention in decision-making in the areas of defense and security.

Kallas also called for exploring mechanisms to circumvent the unanimity principle, including constructive abstention, as well as the gradual expansion of qualified majority voting in EU foreign and defense policy, which may lead to a limitation of national veto rights in these areas.

Furthermore, in her opinion, there is the possibility of invoking Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union.

The head of European diplomacy also noted that meetings of EU defense ministers should be held more frequently and cover a wider range of issues, including the defense industry.

"We need more strategic political discussions. And for sure we need more thinking European, not only in national terms, dear friends, capabilities, industry, partnerships, decision making," she added.