Blok mourns: EU toothless because Cyprus is obstructive | Abroad

Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya had called on ministers during a joint breakfast in the morning to be ‘braver’ and to impose sanctions in response to the fraudulent elections in her country. In the afternoon she also visited the European Parliament where she was welcomed with open arms, but in the end she was left empty-handed due to the obstinate attitude of Cyprus.

The issue is now on the plate of European leaders coming to Brussels for their first summit after the summer this Thursday. Cyprus will not give in because it is demanding EU sanctions against Turkey, which is conducting illegal gas drilling in the Mediterranean. But the other countries refuse to link two files that have nothing to do with each other.

EU offside again

The issue immediately shows how difficult it is to reach decisions on foreign policy. It is not without reason that President of the European Commission Von der Leyen indicated last week in her annual speech to the European Parliament that the member states should give up unanimity with regard to the sanctions regime. From now on, the countries should speak by a so-called qualified majority in this area so that not one or two Member States can block the situation.

Minister Blok (Foreign Affairs) has been an advocate of this for some time. “I am disappointed that it did not work out. This was typically a moment when Europe should have shown unanimity. ” Afterwards, the VVD minister argued for a system in which a country can abstain from voting. “We shouldn’t go barter,” he said.

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