The European Commission has prepared a document proposing to change the procedure for adopting sanctions against Russia — shifting from unanimity to a qualified majority mechanism, Politico reports.
Source: Pryamyi
📌 Essence of the initiative:
- Currently, imposing or extending sanctions requires unanimous support from all EU member states.
- This gives individual countries (notably Hungary) the ability to use a veto.
- The new scheme would allow decisions if supported by 55% of member states representing at least 65% of the EU population.
🇭🇺 Hungary has repeatedly blocked or delayed sanctions in 2022–2023 — including those on Russian oil, gas, and the use of frozen Russian assets to rebuild Ukraine. Budapest explains this by its dependence on Russian energy resources and its desire to maintain economic ties with Moscow.
Recently, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó again opposed an embargo on Russian oil, calling it a threat to the country’s energy security.