To support Ukraine in fighting Russia’s aggression, the EU moved fast and displayed unprecedented unity – a big challenge, considering that all foreign policy decisions must be made unanimously by member states. But what if change is coming to the EU?
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The emergency of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has turned the European Union’s foreign policy on its head. Most experts, including Susi Dennison, a senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, agree that there was “a sort of political momentum” to this event. As it is happened so close to the EU’s borders, it required a unified European response.
When it comes to decision-making on foreign policy, security and defence, the institution that matters at the EU level is the European Council, the body composed of the 27 EU countries’ heads of state. In the European Council, decisions need to be unanimous.
“Sometimes, this consensus takes a lot of time. In the case of Ukraine,[…] it was done very fast. But in other issues, for example Israel or Gaza, the consensus takes a lot of time. So the lesson is that unanimity is actually undermining our effectiveness, our speed and also our credibility outside,” noted EU foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano.
How can 27 countries agree on collective action in the future when they have such different national foreign policies? Experts share their insight in this episode of “Getting there”, ENTR’s new podcast.
