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Von der Leyen backs ending unanimous voting in some areas of EU

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European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen says she backs reforming the EU by eliminating unanimous voting in some areas. 

Critics of the EU say the requirement to succeed in settlement with all 27 member states slows down resolution making, notably with the Ukraine struggle.

Von der Leyen, talking earlier than the European Parliament in the course of the closing ceremony of a convention on Europe’s future, stated she was in favour of reforming the EU treaties “if want be”.

“The purpose is, you’ve instructed us the place you need this Europe to go. And it’s now as much as us to take essentially the most direct manner there, both by utilizing the complete limits of what we are able to do inside the Treaties, or, sure, by altering the Treaties if want be,” von der Leyen stated.

She stated Europe ought to play a larger position in well being and defence, and enhance the best way its democracy works “on a everlasting foundation”.

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“I’ll all the time be on the aspect of those that wish to reform the European Union to make it work higher,” von der Leyen stated.

French President Emmanuel Macron, whose nation holds the rotating EU Council Presidency, advised that member states talk about reforming the treaties on the Council summit in June.

Stating that Europe has proven its effectiveness in the course of the pandemic and the struggle in Ukraine, Macron stated the brand new problem is “to be simply as efficient in occasions of peace and and not using a disaster”.

“Being efficient means we now have to determine rapidly in a united method, make investments massively in the proper issues, and never go away anybody behind. That is what it’s to be European. Confronted with this, we additionally should reform our texts.”

“One of many avenues of this reform could be a conference to revise the treaties,” Macron stated, including that he accepted of the thought.

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Von der Leyen stated in her speech that she was in favour of adjusting the EU’s requirement for unanimous settlement amongst member states on sure points.

“I’ve all the time argued that unanimity voting in some key areas merely now not is sensible if we wish to have the ability to transfer sooner,” stated the Fee president.

She additionally stated the EU ought to “give citizen panels the time and the assets to make suggestions earlier than we current key legislative proposals” to enhance democracy within the bloc.

‘Ukraine already a member of the European household’

On Ukraine, von der Leyen stated that the nation’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, needed to nearly hand over greater than 5,000 pages of solutions to a questionnaire to start the EU accession course of. She stated to Ukrainians that the way forward for Europe was their future.

Macron stated: “Ukraine, due to its battle and due to its braveness, is already a member of our Europe, our household, our union.”

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However, he stated, accession might take a number of years and even a number of many years “until we determine to decrease the requirements for accession and rethink the unity for our Europe.”

Macron advised a “European neighborhood” as a brand new house for political cooperation on the continent.

“This new European organisation would enable democratic European nations adhering to our core values to discover a new house for political cooperation, cooperation in safety, vitality, transport, infrastructure funding and within the motion of individuals, and particularly our youth,” he stated.

Their feedback got here as a convention on the bloc’s future got here to an finish.

European residents, MEPs, representatives from the EU Council and Fee in addition to from member states accepted greater than 300 proposals in a particular session in Strasbourg final week. These proposals have been submitted to EU leaders on 9 Might.

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Not all international locations are in settlement on altering the treaties simply but.

In a non-paper from Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Sweden, the states wrote that whereas they don’t exclude any choices, “we don’t help unconsidered and untimely makes an attempt to launch a course of towards Treaty change”.

“This may entail a severe threat of drawing political vitality away from the necessary duties of discovering options to the inquiries to which our residents anticipate solutions and dealing with the pressing geopolitical challenges dealing with Europe.”

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