BRATISLAVA, April 17. /TASS/. Abolishing the veto power of EU member states would mark the beginning of the end of the union, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said in a speech broadcast by the TASR news agency.
“The EU is going through a huge crisis,” the prime minister said. “Abolishing the veto is the beginning of the end of the EU, the beginning of the end of this significant international organization, which none of us wants. If anyone puts forward such proposals, they are simply demonstrating an inability to reach compromises,” he added.
Fico condemned the European Commission’s attempts to secure an EU-wide decision to abolish member states’ veto rights on foreign policy issues. He expressed particular concern over a statement to that effect by EC President Ursula von der Leyen, made immediately after the results of the recent parliamentary elections in Hungary were announced. The outgoing government of Prime Minister Viktor Orban rejected attempts to limit the national sovereignty of European countries in foreign policy matters. Fico said he was not yet aware of the position of Hungary’s new authorities.
