Hope and fear as tourists trickle back to Kashmir town after attack    Spain and Portugal scramble to restore power as officials chase cause of outage    Israel spy chief to step down after row with Netanyahu exposes deepening rifts    Saudi, Omani foreign ministers visit Rub' Al-Khali border crossing    From his own resources... Luminous lessons in leadership and humanity    Commerce Ministry recalls 6,500 Genesis cars due to risk of fire    Royal Institute of Traditional Arts implements Saudi-Chinese cultural exchange program    Localization in Saudi military industries rises to 19.35%    Logistics park for vehicles worth SR300 million to be set up at Dammam port    HONOR KSA expands its presence with new flagship Experience Store in Riyadh HONOR's first flagship store in KSA provides visitors with a premium experience, exciting offers and free services    Prince Sultan University launches first bachelor's program in language and media    Putin announces three-day Russian ceasefire in Ukraine from 8 May    Al-Falih: Eastern Province hosts 700 investment opportunities worth SR330 billion    Rock & Roll Hall of Fame picks Outkast but not Oasis    Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Hungary and Poland rally allies to defend veto power in EU foreign policy
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 05 - 2023

Hungary and Poland are mounting a push to retain the unanimity rule in the European Union's foreign and security policy, a blunt response to a recently formed coalition that is pressing to adopt a qualified majority and put an end to the veto power.
The move was announced on Monday afternoon by Péter Szijjártó, Hungary's foreign affairs minister, who said preliminary talks were ongoing to oppose the new "group of friends" for the qualified majority, which includes, among others, Germany and France, the bloc's most influential members.
"Of course, on the other side, a team is also being organized, if I may say. We had negotiation sat the ambassadorial level here in Brussels" Szijjártó told reporters.
"Those member states who want to keep unanimity and the possibility to defend their national interests in Brussels decision-making – they want to have close cooperation."
Szijjártó did not name the countries that had taken part in the discussions.
Later on Monday, his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau, voiced his public endorsement.
"Poland will never support the idea of moving away from unanimity to qualified majority voting #QMV in the common foreign and security policy," Rau said on Twitter.
A diplomatic source told Euronews the pro-unanimity faction could encompass up to nine EU countries, although no official list has yet been released.
It's unclear if the talks will result in a formal association or a fluid arrangement.
The effort is meant to counterbalance the "group of friends" formed earlier this month by Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain.
The faction wants to remake EU foreign policy in a "pragmatic way" by gradually moving away from unanimity, a voting rule that applies only to select areas of EU policy-making, such as enlargement, taxation and the common budget.
The need to have 27 assenting votes is often exploited by a single capital to postpone, derail or outright veto collective decisions.
Hungary, in particular, has been heavily criticized for repeatedly using this individual power to obstruct key agreements, causing the frustration of its fellow member states.
This tactic was employed once again on Monday, when Budapest blocked the release of a new tranche of €500 million in EU military assistance for Ukraine after Kyiv listed OTP Bank, Hungary's largest commercial bank, as an "international sponsor of war."
The bank, as well as other private companies on the list, vigorously reject these claims, saying the reasoning is incorrect and not objective. — Euronews


Clic here to read the story from its source.