Germany makes major reforms in the European Union a condition for admitting Ukraine and other new members to the community. “Before a state can join, the EU will have to develop further,” the federal government said on Monday with a view to the EU summit beginning in Brussels on Thursday . Even now, the EU is “sometimes not as capable of acting as we would like it to be in decision-making processes”.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had already called for a “modernization of structures and decision-making processes” in the EU at the weekend and reinforced the demand for majority decisions, for example in foreign policy. However, the federal government is now signaling further wishes. Among other things, Germany should be represented with more MPs in the EU Parliament in the future.
Chancellery Minister Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD) made it clear on Sunday that Germany is aiming for stronger representation. “We have to do something about voting rights and the composition of the European Parliament,” he said at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.
This means that conflicts are looming over the weighting of votes in the Council of the EU and the distribution of seats in the European Parliament. In both cases, there are currently significant distortions in order to prevent the marginalization of smaller Member States. Germany, the largest EU country with 83 million inhabitants, has 96 seats, and small Malta with around 500,000 inhabitants has six seats.
The federal government wants to at least dampen this effect and, in its demands, refers to the “Copenhagen Criteria” that were set by the EU in 1993 as conditions for the accession of new members. Accordingly, the candidates must correspond to the EU standard politically, economically and in their legislation. Another criterion, however, is the EU’s capacity to absorb, according to the federal government. “We are only stating the obvious,” said one of the Chancellor’s advisors. For the candidate countries, however, this could mean that they are slowed down by internal conflicts in the EU even if their own reforms are successful. In the past, questions of power had sometimes led to bitter disputes.
Germany did not get any of the seats that became vacant as a result of Brexit
However, the federal government no longer wants to accept disadvantages compared to other large or medium-sized states, especially in the case of the EU Parliament. This is no longer acceptable, the SPD said. Unlike other countries, Germany has not received any of the seats that have become vacant as a result of Brexit. The question would become more explosive if Ukraine joined, since with 44 million inhabitants it is one of the medium-sized states like Poland and Spain and would have a major impact on the balance in the EU. In Brussels it was said that it was still much too early for these considerations.
At the EU summit, Chancellor Scholz wants to work to ensure that Ukraine and Moldova are granted the status of EU candidates and to push for the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. On Monday, on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) called for “not to proceed according to formula in the case of Ukraine, but to use this historic moment and make it clear to Ukraine with a view to its perspective: it belongs to you in the middle of the European Union”. The challenges and tasks for the accession process are “incredibly great”, but nobody wants people to look back in a few years and say: “How could we not use this course?”
Help for Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia, is also said to be one of the central themes at the G-7 summit at Schloss Elmau, which begins on Sunday. At the invitation of host Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy joined. Six months after taking office, the summit offers Scholz the opportunity to present himself as an international crisis manager. The strongest Western industrial nations want to discuss how to deal with the tense global economic situation. A strict austerity course should be avoided, it said. Scholz also wants to advance his project for a “climate club”, which is intended to prevent trade conflicts in the implementation of climate goals.
Scholz will then travel from Elmau next Tuesday to the NATO summit in Madrid, which will also be shaped by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and is intended to adopt a new strategic concept.
So Germany wants smaller countries to have a smaller say in the running of the EU. I suspect, after what Macron said earlier, France also thinks this way.
So more power to Germany and France.
Just a reminder for anyone keen to repeat Telegraph/Spectator-level propaganda: France and Germany, together and seperate, form a minority vote in the EU and can use the veto to their benefit as well. With a veto, we can never outvote them, without we can.
There are no “big countries” in the EU that can dominate everything, anyone can be outvoted. It takes 4 countries to even form a blocking minority.
This isn’t a big country vs small country issue. This is an issue where 26 countries decide one thing, and one country decides to fuck over the others for its own immediate benefit. That’s not democracy, that’s tyranny of one over the many. Atleast with a blocking minority you have to define and negotiate a communal benefit.
The EU is fine as it is.
It is truly remarkable how despite a declaration of war on the EU from the R.F. multiple times in the last 35 years, not only has the EU grown economically, but really, led the world economically.
Gripes about what is essentially as close to a perfect confederal method as Europe will have.
everyone supports EU reforms
for one, the criteria for becoming an EU member state should become permanent, continuous EU member state conditions with countries risking losing their EU member status if they backslide on them
5 comments
Germany makes major reforms in the European Union a condition for admitting Ukraine and other new members to the community. “Before a state can join, the EU will have to develop further,” the federal government said on Monday with a view to the EU summit beginning in Brussels on Thursday . Even now, the EU is “sometimes not as capable of acting as we would like it to be in decision-making processes”.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had already called for a “modernization of structures and decision-making processes” in the EU at the weekend and reinforced the demand for majority decisions, for example in foreign policy. However, the federal government is now signaling further wishes. Among other things, Germany should be represented with more MPs in the EU Parliament in the future.
Chancellery Minister Wolfgang Schmidt (SPD) made it clear on Sunday that Germany is aiming for stronger representation. “We have to do something about voting rights and the composition of the European Parliament,” he said at the European Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin.
This means that conflicts are looming over the weighting of votes in the Council of the EU and the distribution of seats in the European Parliament. In both cases, there are currently significant distortions in order to prevent the marginalization of smaller Member States. Germany, the largest EU country with 83 million inhabitants, has 96 seats, and small Malta with around 500,000 inhabitants has six seats.
The federal government wants to at least dampen this effect and, in its demands, refers to the “Copenhagen Criteria” that were set by the EU in 1993 as conditions for the accession of new members. Accordingly, the candidates must correspond to the EU standard politically, economically and in their legislation. Another criterion, however, is the EU’s capacity to absorb, according to the federal government. “We are only stating the obvious,” said one of the Chancellor’s advisors. For the candidate countries, however, this could mean that they are slowed down by internal conflicts in the EU even if their own reforms are successful. In the past, questions of power had sometimes led to bitter disputes.
Germany did not get any of the seats that became vacant as a result of Brexit
However, the federal government no longer wants to accept disadvantages compared to other large or medium-sized states, especially in the case of the EU Parliament. This is no longer acceptable, the SPD said. Unlike other countries, Germany has not received any of the seats that have become vacant as a result of Brexit. The question would become more explosive if Ukraine joined, since with 44 million inhabitants it is one of the medium-sized states like Poland and Spain and would have a major impact on the balance in the EU. In Brussels it was said that it was still much too early for these considerations.
At the EU summit, Chancellor Scholz wants to work to ensure that Ukraine and Moldova are granted the status of EU candidates and to push for the start of accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. On Monday, on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) called for “not to proceed according to formula in the case of Ukraine, but to use this historic moment and make it clear to Ukraine with a view to its perspective: it belongs to you in the middle of the European Union”. The challenges and tasks for the accession process are “incredibly great”, but nobody wants people to look back in a few years and say: “How could we not use this course?”
Help for Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia, is also said to be one of the central themes at the G-7 summit at Schloss Elmau, which begins on Sunday. At the invitation of host Scholz, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy joined. Six months after taking office, the summit offers Scholz the opportunity to present himself as an international crisis manager. The strongest Western industrial nations want to discuss how to deal with the tense global economic situation. A strict austerity course should be avoided, it said. Scholz also wants to advance his project for a “climate club”, which is intended to prevent trade conflicts in the implementation of climate goals.
Scholz will then travel from Elmau next Tuesday to the NATO summit in Madrid, which will also be shaped by the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and is intended to adopt a new strategic concept.
So Germany wants smaller countries to have a smaller say in the running of the EU. I suspect, after what Macron said earlier, France also thinks this way.
So more power to Germany and France.
Just a reminder for anyone keen to repeat Telegraph/Spectator-level propaganda: France and Germany, together and seperate, form a minority vote in the EU and can use the veto to their benefit as well. With a veto, we can never outvote them, without we can.
There are no “big countries” in the EU that can dominate everything, anyone can be outvoted. It takes 4 countries to even form a blocking minority.
This isn’t a big country vs small country issue. This is an issue where 26 countries decide one thing, and one country decides to fuck over the others for its own immediate benefit. That’s not democracy, that’s tyranny of one over the many. Atleast with a blocking minority you have to define and negotiate a communal benefit.
The EU is fine as it is.
It is truly remarkable how despite a declaration of war on the EU from the R.F. multiple times in the last 35 years, not only has the EU grown economically, but really, led the world economically.
Gripes about what is essentially as close to a perfect confederal method as Europe will have.
everyone supports EU reforms
for one, the criteria for becoming an EU member state should become permanent, continuous EU member state conditions with countries risking losing their EU member status if they backslide on them