Rudd wants to remove veto in EU | Domestic

The two heads of state present the plan ahead of the European summit on Thursday and Friday, where the future of the union is on the agenda.

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The right to veto restricts the EU’s strategic influence on important issues, note Rutte and Sanchez. They want member states to inquire whether the right of veto can be revoked in certain subjects and changed by a majority decision. It is mainly about topics in European foreign and security policy.

The Netherlands has been arguing for years that veto members’ rights in these areas should be revoked. Nevertheless, Rutte is now working with the Prime Minister of a country where the Netherlands conflicts on other issues.

The right to veto affects the EU especially on issues such as human rights and the rule of law. Hungary and Poland have repeatedly threatened to exercise their veto rights in recent times, for example to block the European budget. Countries in Brussels continue to be criticized for their undoubted handling of human rights and the weakening of their own legal system.