Commission targets vetoes in EU accession talks

On 6 October the European Commission proposed that EU governments approve the middle stages of membership talks by majority vote instead of unanimity (Commission Q&A, BTA). No single capital could freeze a candidate's negotiations, though each would keep its veto over final admission. The change needs the consent of the governments that would give up that power. It also leaves the dispute behind Hungary's hold on Ukraine unresolved.

Which veto goes, and which stays

Joining the EU means passing a long series of gates. Negotiations are split into thematic blocks. Opening a block means the EU accepts that the candidate can start bringing that area of its law into line with EU rules. Until now, national governments have had to agree unanimously at each opening and provisional closing, so any one of them could say no (Council explainer).

The Commission wants those middle gates decided by qualified majority, which requires at least 15 of the 27 governments representing at least 65% of the EU population (Article 16 TEU). A single country could no longer block on its own. The last gate would not change. Article 49 of the EU Treaty still requires a unanimous decision by governments, the European Parliament's consent and ratification by every member state (Article 49 TEU).

Nothing is in force yet. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos presented a recommendation, which governments have not yet adopted. The Commission's text also leaves open some legal steps for rewriting each candidate's negotiating framework, the rulebook governments agreed at the start of its talks (full communication).

Hungary's hold and the schools dispute

Hungary's conduct shows what the change would target. According to European Pravda, Budapest refused three times, on 17 July, 8 September and 29 September, to approve the Commission's assessment of Ukraine's readiness in two blocks, the step that comes before opening them (European Pravda).

Hungary's complaint has a real basis. In 2017 the Council of Europe's Venice Commission, a panel of constitutional lawyers, criticised a Ukrainian education law for cutting secondary schooling in minority languages (Venice Commission). That opinion establishes a serious long-standing concern. It does not judge the bill Kyiv is now considering.

Budapest may be easing its stance. The Hungarian site Index, citing a Financial Times report, says Prime Minister Péter Magyar told diplomats to let the procedure move. Index adds that fuller support depends on a Ukrainian vote on a minority-schools bill expected on 12 October (Index).

Under majority voting, Hungary could no longer stop that intermediate step alone. The schools dispute would remain, and Budapest would still hold a veto over Ukraine's final entry. Voting rules have limits elsewhere too. North Macedonia's next step depends on a constitutional amendment naming Bulgarians as a minority, a condition set in a 2022 Council compromise that only Skopje's own parliament can meet (Council conclusions).

Who has to say yes

The package pairs easier talks with tougher oversight after entry. For 15 years, a new member found in serious breach of EU values could face penalties, up to losing its vote among governments (full communication). Once a breach was found, those penalties would apply automatically unless a qualified majority voted them down.

The existing procedure works the other way round. Article 7, the EU's tool for punishing democratic backsliding, requires governments to agree before they act. In 2025, the European Parliament noted that Hungary's Article 7 case had seen nine hearings since 2018 without even a formal finding of risk (European Parliament). Kos argued that the time limit keeps newcomers from becoming permanent second-class members (Guardian).

The vote change depends on governments agreeing to give up a lever they have used. Their opening positions vary. The Dutch government supports tougher safeguards. But Foreign Minister Tom Berendsen told the Senate on 29 September that The Hague wants unanimity kept for important accession decisions (Eerste Kamer). He did not say whether opening a block counts as important. Until governments adopt the change and Kyiv answers the schools complaint, the veto Hungary used this summer still works.