Hungary and Poland were considered rebellious within the bloc
Germany wants to reform the European Union by abolishing the national sovereignty of its members
Balkan countries want to join the European bloc.
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Schulz wants a gradual transition to majority voting in the Common Foreign Policy.
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Schulz wants to strengthen his country's position in the European bloc.
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Speaking at a conference at Charles University, in Prague, a few days ago, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz outlined his vision for reforming the European Union;
This is done by undermining the national sovereignty of member states.
He called for national veto powers to be removed, saying that as the EU expanded there was "the risk of one country using the veto and preventing other countries from moving forward, as more countries join".
While many EU decisions are, indeed, taken by majority vote, Schulz wants "a gradual transition to majority voting in common foreign policy, but also in other areas, such as tax policy."
Calls for the removal of the veto gained momentum, out of frustration with the EU's heavy sanctions program against Russia.
However, Schulz's plan is fatally flawed, as it takes specific problems posed by the Russo-Ukrainian War as justification for permanent action against "national self-determination" across the European Union.
Removing the majority veto would allow, in the European Union, to force states to take decisions against their will.
Decision making is always skewed in favor of the major powers in the bloc;
Under the EU's qualified majority voting rules, 55 percent of member states, which represent 65 percent of the EU's total population, must pass legislation.
Germany alone has nearly 20% of the EU's population, so it's no wonder Schulz would like to change the rules.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also strongly supports the proposed reform.
Ironically, however, abolishing the veto would require the unanimous consent of member states.
Although the move would be at the expense of the small states in the union, it is seen specifically as a blow against Hungary and Poland, the conservative rebels, whose current governments would never agree to such a move.
Hungary's resistance to Russian energy sanctions has sparked widespread discontent with the EU's slowness to act on the international stage.
But Budapest is not the bloc's biggest problem.
There is little evidence that the majority voting system would have made much more than a cosmetic difference in EU sanctions on Russia, although by suppressing national concerns, it would likely leave landlocked Central European countries such as Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, You are facing an energy crisis that is worse than what you are facing now.
As advocates of rule change point out, the current consensus requirements show who is outside the ideological and political consensus.
Today, this usually means Eastern European countries that are culturally different from Western countries.
The EU has become sensitive to this diversity of opinions, and realizes that its plans for further eastward expansion will only multiply the potential for ideological opposition.
Therefore, it wants to abolish the mechanism through which opposition can be expressed.
It is not hard to see where this will lead us.
Voters who agree with the EU consensus will get closer, while those with different views will feel a new sense of alienation that leads to a rapid rise in outright EU skepticism.
It is natural in any democracy to tolerate policies it does not favor.
It is quite another thing to be forced to do this by foreign powers.
East expansion
The European Union began negotiations, in July, for the accession of Albania and North Macedonia, two countries that have been waiting to join the union for eight and 17 years, respectively, but the process is still long and fraught with difficulties.
The German chancellor stressed that the rules of work must inevitably evolve in the future squad.
"Ukraine is not Luxembourg, and Portugal does not look at the world's challenges as North Macedonia does," he added.
Thus, he saw that "where today unanimity is required (in the European Union), the risk that one country will prevent all other countries from progressing through the use of the veto increases with each new membership."
"So I proposed that we move gradually to majority decision-making in the common foreign policy, but also, in other areas such as tax policy," without concealing that "this also has repercussions for Germany," Schulz explained, adding that "adhering to the principle of consensus is only valid." When the pressure to move is weak.
But this is no longer the case considering the phase changes” caused by the Russian war.
The chancellor also promised to seek Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria for their long-awaited accession to the "Schengen" area of freedom of movement, a "personal commitment" welcomed by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.
To ensure the quality of the enlarged EU, Schulz suggested that rule-breaking measures should be broadened and not limited to rule-of-law violations, such as those targeting Hungary and Poland.
The chancellor, who has launched huge investments in the German army, wants to address the "uncoordinated shrinking of European armed forces and defense budgets" exposed by the Russian war.
He pointed out the need for greater cooperation between European companies in armaments projects, joint manufacturing and procurement.
Schulz reiterated his support for French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to form a "European political group", saying: "Once or twice a year we will discuss central topics of interest to our continent as a whole, including security, energy, climate and connectivity."
Macron sees it as a "new European organization" that allows candidates to join the European Union in addition to the United Kingdom, Switzerland and Norway.
• 20% of the EU population lives in Germany.
William Barricade ■ Columnist.
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