MP Levan Machavariani: If prospective members lose veto rights, candidate nations will question the point of joining the EU

“Deliberations over a mechanism to override national vetoes remain ongoing, and the final outcome is undecided, but if the proposals materialise as advertised, it would mark a severe setback,” parliamentary majority MP Levan Machavariani has warned.

According to Machavariani, current signals from Brussels, ranging from attempts to bypass veto rights to restrictions on relations with the incoming Trump administration, are raising fundamental questions among candidate nations regarding the true value of EU accession.

“We should keep in mind that the EU’s present stance, which it has yet to revise, essentially expects candidate states to curb their relations with the United States. Consequently, if a future member state is expected to freeze ties with the Trump administration while simultaneously being stripped of its veto power, candidate nations will inevitably begin to question the wisdom of pursuing EU membership altogether. We would prefer to see a far clearer position and expect senior EU officials to provide proper clarification on these matters,” Machavariani stated.

His comments follow media reports of leaked internal drafts indicating the EU is weighing up mechanisms to bypass individual member state vetoes on key strategic decisions.