Key facts
- Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg proposed strengthening EU accession treaties.
- The proposal includes safeguard clauses for future members to address legal and democratic breaches.
- Measures suggested include suspending funds and voting rights for new members.
- Veto power could be restricted for an undefined period for new members.
- A 'non-regression clause' is proposed to ensure new members do not backtrack on democratic norms.
- Simplifying Article 7 of EU treaties and lowering the threshold for suspending voting rights are suggested.
Five European Union member states have put forward a proposal to strengthen the accession treaties for future members, aiming to prevent democratic backsliding and legal breaches. Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg are advocating for additional safeguard clauses that would allow for swifter penalties, including the potential suspension of voting rights and EU funds.
The initiative, seen by Euronews, reflects lessons learned from the EU's experience with Hungary under Viktor Orbán, whose repeated vetoes and reforms had led to legal challenges and frozen funds. The proposal suggests that new members' veto power could be restricted for an initial period, particularly in areas requiring unanimity like foreign policy and budget decisions, to ensure the bloc's capacity to act.
Key to the proposal is the codification of a 'non-regression clause' to bind new members to democratic principles and the rule of law. Should a country regress, the EU would be empowered to take 'protective measures' beyond current tools like infringement procedures and fund freezes. The document also suggests simplifying Article 7 of the EU treaties, which deals with serious breaches of fundamental values, proposing that the suspension of voting rights could be enacted with a 4/5th majority instead of unanimity, a threshold that has proven difficult to meet in past cases involving Hungary and Poland.
The proposal is timed to influence ongoing discussions for Montenegro's accession treaty, which is seen as a potential blueprint for other candidates like Ukraine, Moldova, Albania, North Macedonia, and Serbia. It also considers transitional periods for policies like the Common Agricultural Policy and potential 'disturbances' to labour markets from the free movement of workers.