A Safety Belt for the EU’s Capacity to Act
The instrumental use of national vetoes to secure concessions on unrelated policy files has exposed a structural vulnerability in the European Union’s capacity to sustain coherent and effective external action. In the Common Foreign and Security Policy, the requirement of unanimity allows an individual Member State to obstruct both ordinary decision-making and the authorisation of enhanced cooperation through which willing Member States could pursue joint action within the
Union.
This paper proposes introducing qualified majority voting specifically for decisions authorising enhanced cooperation in Common Foreign and Security Policy.
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Table of contents
Executive Summary
1. A Narrow Window to Safeguard the Union’s Capacity to Act
2. Flexible Cooperation: Advantages and Procedural Constraints
3. The Proposal – Authorising Enhanced Cooperation in CFSP by Qualified Majority
a) The Enhanced Cooperation Passerelle Clause (Art. 333 TFEU)
b) The CFSP Passerelle Clause (Art. 31(3) TEU)
c) General Passerelle Clause (Art. 48(7) TEU)
4. Conclusion – A Safety Belt for the Union’s Capacity to Act
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