Olaf Scholz says EU must reform to cope with enlarging to 30 to 36 members
The European Union must undergo major reforms now to be ready to cope with having 30-36 members in the future, Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Monday.
He added the bloc should also ditch the requirement for unanimity in its decision-making process, which has allowed single countries to veto others joining.
"The centre of Europe is moving eastwards," Scholz said, delivering a wide-ranging speech at the Charles University in Prague.
"In this expanded union, the differences between the member states will grow as far as political interests, economic clout and social security systems are concerned," he said. "Ukraine isn’t Luxembourg, and Portugal views the challenges of the world differently than North Macedonia."
Scholz called on the EU to take its promises "seriously" when it comes to enlargement and carry out institutional reforms "now" to adapt itself for the eventual arrival of new member states, such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and countries in the Western Balkans.
Since the entrance of Croatia in 2013, the last country to join the EU, the accession process has ground to a halt, leading to bitter complaints from candidate countries, left today in a sort of enlargement limbo.
Among the necessary reforms, the Chancellor suggested a "gradual" transition away from unanimity, a strict requirement that still applies to select areas of work, such as foreign policy and taxation, and that often bogs down collective action at the EU level.
Defenders of unanimity, however, say the system allows smaller EU countries to ensure their points of view are heard and respected.
"Swearing allegiance to the principle of unanimity only works for as long as the pressure to act is low," Scholz said, acknowledging that "every country must
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