German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday called for swift and far-reaching EU reforms to make the bloc more able to act, particularly in foreign and security policy.
In a keynote speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, Wadephul proposed closer cooperation by a smaller group of countries on issues where consensus among all 27 member states cannot be achieved. He also called for the unanimity principle in foreign policy matters to be replaced by qualified majorities to prevent prolonged blockades by individual countries.
"On the question of security, the unanimity principle can put us in existential danger because it is a matter of life and death," he said. As an example, he cited Hungary's months-long blockade of a €90 billion ($106 billion) loan for Ukraine.
Wadephul's six reform proposals also include accelerating EU enlargement through a gradual accession process. Chancellor Friedrich Merz already advocated for this in April at the informal EU summit in Cyprus.
With his proposals, Wadephul said he wants to try to make the European Union "storm-proof and more able to act."
"I see the entire situation as urgent," he said. He described the success of EU reforms as a question of existence for the bloc.
"We must become faster. This world is moving faster. It requires answers," he said. "If we as the European Union do not deliver that, others will. And then other formations will also emerge."
