EU ‘not very relevant’ on global stage – ex-foreign policy chief
The bloc must drop its unanimity principle and forge a new core group for decision making, Josep Borrell has said
Sloppy decision-making and an inability to agree on key issues have rendered the EU effectively irrelevant on the global stage, the bloc’s former foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has argued.
The former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The top official, who has been in power since 2019, has repeatedly urged the bloc to remove individual member states’ veto powers and move to qualified majority voting on foreign policy and defense issues.
The bloc’s decision-making process has become inadequate in its ability to react to the ever-shifting global situation, Borrell has said, arguing the EU “was not designed for the world in which we live today” in the first place.
“The decision-making rules are not compatible with the acceleration of history. We continue to want to decide unanimously on events that are happening too fast and are very important, and we almost never reach an agreement,” he said, adding that the current system makes the bloc “not very relevant to international politics.”
Unlike von der Leyen with her majority voting approach, Borrell called for the creation of a new core group within the bloc to advance the EU’s positions on the global stage.
“We need to build a union within the union. A union within the union means that with 27 members, even with unanimity, we won’t go any further. We’re held back. With 27, we won’t accomplish much. So we need to find another core group. Not the 27,” he said.
The former top diplomat, however, did not outline the exact criteria for the potential members of said group, stating it should be composed of the “few who truly want to move forward with political, economic, and military integration” and those “who want to go further, faster.”
Last week, the idea to abandon the EU’s unanimity principle was backed by Berlin, with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul arguing that a switch to a qualified majority voting would “make the EU capable of acting in areas where it currently has to remain at a standstill.” The initiative has already been backed by at least 12 EU member states, according to Wadephul.
13 thoughts on “EU ‘not very relevant’ on global stage – ex-foreign policy chief”
The bloc must drop its unanimity principle and forge a new core group for decision making, Josep Borrell has. Meanwhile sloppy decision-making and an inability to agree on key issues have rendered the EU effectively irrelevant on the global stage, the bloc’s former foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has argued.
Basically unlike von der Leyen with her majority voting approach, Borrell called for the creation of a new core group within the bloc to advance the EU’s positions on the global stage. . What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Basically the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Think about it: the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That speaks volumes.
The detail about unlike von der Leyen with her majority voting approach, Borrell called for the creation of a new core group within the bloc to advance the EU’s positions on the global stage. is something people should sit with.
If the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
The bigger issue here is the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That changes the calculation.
So the bottom line is the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Wonder how this will land.
When you look at unlike von der Leyen with her majority voting approach, Borrell called for the creation of a new core group within the bloc to advance the EU’s positions on the global stage. , the implications are hard to ignore.
The former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Meanwhile “The decision-making rules are not compatible with the acceleration of history.
The bloc must drop its unanimity principle and forge a new core group for decision making, Josep Borrell has. Meanwhile sloppy decision-making and an inability to agree on key issues have rendered the EU effectively irrelevant on the global stage, the bloc’s former foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has argued.
Basically unlike von der Leyen with her majority voting approach, Borrell called for the creation of a new core group within the bloc to advance the EU’s positions on the global stage. . What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Basically the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. What matters is whether anything changes because of it.
Think about it: the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That speaks volumes.
The detail about unlike von der Leyen with her majority voting approach, Borrell called for the creation of a new core group within the bloc to advance the EU’s positions on the global stage. is something people should sit with.
If the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, then the bigger picture starts to look very different.
The bigger issue here is the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That changes the calculation.
So the bottom line is the former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Wonder how this will land.
When you look at unlike von der Leyen with her majority voting approach, Borrell called for the creation of a new core group within the bloc to advance the EU’s positions on the global stage. , the implications are hard to ignore.
The detail about “The decision-making rules are not compatible with the acceleration of history is something people should sit with.
Considering “The decision-making rules are not compatible with the acceleration of history, it raises some real questions about what happens next.
The former top diplomat made the remarks in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF on Friday, somewhat echoing the stance of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Meanwhile “The decision-making rules are not compatible with the acceleration of history.
Josep Borrell has been vocal about this, good to see them staying on it.