German leader outlines vision for a larger, more coherent EU

PRAGUE (AP) — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called Monday for a growing European Union to agree to a series of changes that will help it overcome internal divisions and confront external rivals such as Russia and China.

In a wide-ranging speech at Charles University in Prague, Scholz said the EU must “adjust” to future enlargement from 27 to 30, or even 36, nations by making more decisions by majority vote, rather than requiring the unanimity on all issues. which in the past allowed individual member states to veto key decisions.

“We have to remember that pledging allegiance to the unanimity principle only works as long as the pressure to act is low,” Scholz said, arguing that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for the EU to change the way it takes action. decisions.

Scholz suggested allowing majority decisions on pressing issues like sanctions or human rights policy, with those unwilling to explicitly back a vote given the option to abstain without blocking unanimity.

The German leader also backed calls to reconsider the composition of the European Parliament, which currently has 751 deputies, to prevent it from being “inflated” through future expansion. A similar reform of the way each member state is represented on the bloc’s Executive Commission could see commissioners share responsibility in certain areas, he said.

With Europe lagging behind its global rivals when it comes to digitization and space exploration, Scholz said the EU could become a world leader in the transition to a greener economy that would also help it become less dependent on of foreign energy providers.

In his speech, Scholz repeatedly cited the threat that Russia poses to the EU under its authoritarian president, warning that “any disunity between us, any weakness, is water for (Vladimir) Putin’s mill.”

“We must close ranks, resolve old conflicts and find new solutions,” he said, noting that the bloc needs to overcome long-standing tensions between its members on migration and fiscal policy.

Scholz’s speech echoed proposals made in recent months by French President Emmanuel Macron. But he is likely to be greeted with caution by smaller countries who fear that reforming the EU’s difficult decision-making processes to allow more votes to be passed by two-thirds majorities could cause their concerns to be ignored.

Tensions have also flared in recent years between the European Commission and the governments of Hungary and Poland, with Brussels accusing those countries of violating the bloc’s core values ​​and the principle of the rule of law.

Scholz called for unity in the face of growing pressure from abroad.

“When, if not now, will we overcome the differences that have hampered and divided us for years?” she asked.

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