Parliament Seeks To Push Leaders To Talk Treaty Changes To End Unanimity

On 9 June, the European Parliament voted in favour of a resolution asking for member state leaders to convene a European Convention that can change the treaties that form the building blocs of the European Union's laws and operations.

• The resolution passed with 355 in favour and 154 opposed, while France's Europe Minister Clement Beaune promised that the topic would be discussed at the next European Council summit. He stated that "The commitment we take is to open the debate without delay...even if it is difficult and above all if it is difficult.”
• The gov'ts of France and Germany have raised the discussion of changing EU treaties to end the unanimity requirement on some issues. This has been spurred by the difficulty the EU has had in imposing strict sanctions on Russia with regards to its oil exports to the EU, with Hungary acting as a block on an oil embargo.
• Convening a convention would only require a majority vote among EU member states, but to actually change the treaties this would require unanimity. As such, the prospect of any changes in the near future remains an unlikely prospect as countries such as Hungary that often find themselves the sole holdout are unlikely to be willing to vote for the end to the unanimity rule.