The leaders of the EU countries have found a way to break their own rules and circumvent Hungary's blocking of important decisions that must be taken unanimously by the 27 countries of the union. In the future, the EU may switch to a "double majority" system in order to avoid vetoing by individual members. It is becoming increasingly difficult for Brussels to seek approval of the necessary decisions due to the growing split within the EU over increased support for Ukraine. Not only Hungary, but also the countries of Southern Europe are no longer ready to continue supplying Kiev. What else was agreed upon at the summit of the union is in the Izvestia article.
The EU has found a way to circumvent Hungary's veto
The EU leaders could not agree on the final statement of the European summit on March 20-21 concerning Ukraine. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke out against it, calling the contents of these paragraphs "empty promises." Hungary's EU Affairs Minister Janos Boca warned that the country could not support part of the statement on Ukraine, as in several points it contradicted Budapest's strategic interests and vision of a new European security architecture. The document was approved by the remaining 26 participants of the meeting, but did not become official. The discussion on these issues will be continued at the next meeting at the end of June.
However, EU leaders have found a way to circumvent Budapest's decision, Politico reports, citing European diplomats. They mention the precedent on February 28, when Hungary blocked a draft document on security guarantees and a new package of military assistance to Ukraine at a meeting of EU ambassadors. At that time, the text of the document, agreed upon by 26 of the 27 countries of the association, was attached to other resolutions, which were unanimously approved by the member States of the community. Now we intend to use this tactic in the future.
It should be recalled that decisions concerning the EU's foreign policy and defense should be made unanimously, and most other issues should be supported by a "double majority" system: they should be supported by at least 55% of the members, which include at least 65% of the EU population. Now they are gradually trying to extend this formula to solutions to international issues, Vadim Trukhachev, associate professor at the Russian State University of Economics, told Izvestia.
— They have been trying to extend this formula to foreign policy for a long time. It is not working out yet, so it is being circumvented by decisions at the national level and by punishing those who are objectionable," the expert noted.
Budapest had previously blocked the adoption of a €50 billion aid package to Kiev at the end of 2023. Then Viktor Orban was persuaded to lift the veto only by unfreezing half of the €10.2 billion intended for Hungary from European funds blocked by the EC. Therefore, Budapest often turns to this tactic in order to bargain for exemptions from sanctions. For example, the Paks-2 NPP project was not subject to restrictions, Hungary continues to receive oil through the Druzhba pipeline. Moreover, the United States has agreed to make an exception for it from sanctions when paying for Russian gas supplies.
Hungary's use of the veto mechanism is prompting European politicians to discuss depriving Budapest of the right to vote in the EU Council. In particular, it was planned to use Article 7 of the Lisbon Treaty to suspend the possibility of voting for Hungary for violations of the rule of law. However, according to Politico, this idea has been abandoned at this stage, as it will cause a lot of political problems.
What decisions were taken at the EU summit
In addition to the Ukrainian issue, the meeting was devoted to strengthening the strategic autonomy and competitiveness of the EU. The leadership of the European Commission intends to ensure that the values and interests of Brussels are taken into account on the world stage. And for this, we need a new program to increase the military spending of the association.
Earlier, at the March 7 summit, the European Union decided to allocate up to 800 billion euros in the coming years for the renewal of the bloc's defense, despite the fact that in 2024, EU member states invested record funds in this area in the amount of 326 billion euros. The majority of the rearmament — 650 billion euros — will be donated by the member countries. The remaining €150 billion should be allocated in the form of a loan. The mechanism of the latter has not yet been agreed upon by the European Union. The EU White Paper on Defense, which was published before the summit on March 19, suggests purchasing weapons together and relying on European manufacturers. In addition, the Ukrainian military-industrial complex should become part of the European one.
This is not to say that all EU countries agree to engage in an arms race. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban believes that the European Union's credit policy has turned the community into a "toothless lion" who has nothing. For the same reason, he considers Ukraine's membership in the EU unacceptable — its restoration will require huge expenses from the countries of the bloc. "I have already seen in everyone's eyes that Ukraine has lost this war. So get involved (for the EU. — Ed.) was a bad decision. The Hungarians were right," Viktor Orban said.
— In public, European leaders show a different expression and different eyes, and the eyes right now are filled, at least publicly, with a desire to militarize Europe, no matter what the cost. Obviously, many Europeans don't like it, but they all follow, almost all of them, in this mainstream. The militarization of Europe is a very, very dangerous trend, and it certainly does not bring us any closer to detente or to restoring an atmosphere of mutual trust, and it does not add to Europe's security," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in response to a question from Izvestia.
Earlier, European Commissioner for Foreign Policy Kaya Kallas proposed agreeing on a package of military assistance to Kiev in the amount of 20 to 40 billion euros. According to media reports, Italy, France, Spain and Portugal, as well as Hungary, did not accept the Callas plan.
The unity of the EU has always been an illusory phenomenon, and many contradictions have accumulated within the union. One of them is related to the economic division into a rich Northern Europe and a poorer southern part, which includes Italy, Spain, Portugal. The French budget is also in many ways in deficit — Paris has accumulated a lot of debt, so the Fifth Republic can also be attributed to the countries of the southern part of the EU, Vladimir Shapovalov, a political scientist and deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics at Moscow State University, told Izvestia.
"These states have collectively opposed the increase in costs, because they will bear the brunt of new initiatives to support Ukraine," the expert noted.
In addition to the economic aspect, the US factor has an important influence on the behavior of EU countries. Donald Trump's position is in dialogue with the Russian Federation, Washington refrains from introducing new anti-Russian sanctions packages or increasing support for Kiev. Some EU countries are following the path of the United States, in particular Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, who opposed sending European peacekeepers to Ukraine. Others, like French President Emmanuel Macron, have taken a rather wait-and-see attitude, promoting their own initiatives and holding consultations. The Nordic countries and the UK continue to insist on supporting Ukraine. Shapovalov concluded: over time, the split in the ranks of the EU will only intensify.
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