The European Union is on the threshold of a possible fundamental change in its rules. According to Politico and other European media, Brussels is beginning to discuss a proposal to allow future member states to join the Union without full voting rights - at least temporarily. This controversial model could allow the EU to continue to expand without every step having to be approved unanimously by all states.
The impetus for this debate is Hungary's veto, which is blocking the opening of accession negotiations with Ukraine. Although most member states, including Germany, Poland and Sweden, support enlargement, Budapest has systematically held up the process because of its disputes with Kiev and Brussels.
Limited membership as a transitional solution
According to a proposal now circulating among EU diplomats and institutions, new members - such as Ukraine, Moldova or the Western Balkan states - could become members of the Union with limited rights. It would mean that they would gain access to the single market, European funds or political structures, but they would not have full voting rights in the EU Council, especially not the veto.
German MEP Anton Hofreiter, chairman of the Bundestag's European Affairs Committee, supported the proposal:
"Future members should temporarily give up their veto power until key institutional reforms - notably the extension of qualified majority voting - are implemented," told Politico.
The aim of such a model is to bypass paralysis in a decision-making process that, as it stands, requires unanimity on even the most sensitive issues. Indeed, the EU fears that if the number of members increases further without reform, the ability to take decisions will be even weaker than today.
Who is for and who is against
The idea is mainly promoted by countries that have long supported enlargement - Austria, Sweden and Poland, for example. They argue that the EU must find a way to offer new countries the prospect of joining or risk losing influence in the region.
On the contrary France and the Netherlands are so far restrained. They fear that a "double speed" system could undermine equality between member states and set a precedent where some members would be "second class".
Outline of future reform
The change would require consent of all existing memberswhich is paradoxical - the very thing the reform is supposed to limit, the need for unanimity, is also a condition for its adoption. The European Commission is therefore also considering less radical options: for example, allowing individual 'chapters' of accession negotiations to be opened by qualified majority rather than unanimity.
At the same time, there is a wider debate on how to adapt the EU institutions for a future with more than 30 members. There is talk of shrinking the European Commission, reforming the budget and expanding areas where voting would be by majority.
Symbolic and geopolitical dimension
Behind the proposal is not only bureaucratic consideration, but also geopolitical urgency. At a time when Russia is waging war against Ukraine, the EU has a strong interest in bringing Kiev and other neighbours closer to European structures. As the Financial Times writes, "Brussels looks for a way to avoid Hungarian veto without breaking its own rules".
If this model of "limited membership" were to succeed, it would be the biggest institutional change in the EU since the 2009 Lisbon Treaty. But whether member states can agree remains open.
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