Bonino’s provocation: “Pricey Meloni and Tajani, postpone Orbán’s presidency of the EU Council”

Face President Melonspricey minister Tajani,

I’m addressing you publicly to deliver to your consideration a difficulty that may be very near my coronary heart and which, I think about, can also be near your coronary heart, as Prime Minister and Minister of International Affairs of a founding nation of the European Union, and due to this fact significantly within the safety and safety of the values ​​which might be on the origin of the Union.

Ranging from 1 July, the Presidency of the Council of the European Union must be assumed, on the premise of a rotation mechanism, by Hungary Viktor Orbán. The Council of the European Union isn’t just any physique. It’s an intergovernmental establishment – I cannot clarify it to you, who realize it, however to those that will learn this letter exterior the buildings – by which elementary choices are made for the way forward for the Union and its insurance policies.

From 1 July – I quote from a letter from the European Motion of Italy, Spain, France and Poland to the leaders of the European establishments – Viktor Orbán and his twelve ministers (together with just one lady) ought to coordinate the motion of the twenty-seven European governments in conferences of the ambassadors, within the quite a few committees that take cost of the management and decision-making features of the nationwide bureaucracies (figuring out that it’s there that the bureaucratic weight resides within the European Union and never within the European public service) and within the casual conferences that “enrich” each six-monthly presidency cooperating with the President of the European Council within the preparation and continuity of the work of the Heads of State and Authorities.

A task of nice accountability and affect, particularly as regards the legislative and budgetary perform of the Union, within the arms of a authorities and a pacesetter who has proudly outlined his nation as an “intolerant democracy”, which has been beneath surveillance process (ex artwork. 7.1. TEU) for clear violations of the rule of legislation, and which frequently makes use of the suitable of veto to dam choices for which the treaties require unanimity, as it’s as soon as once more threatening to do relating to help for Ukraine.

As you already know, many Council choices should be taken unanimously, and it is a rule that I’ve been preventing in opposition to for many years, because it offers each single nation, even the smallest, even essentially the most uncovered to exterior influences, even the much less democratic, the ability to dam the decision-making processes of all the Union, undermining its credibility and effectivity. I struggle a lot for the abolition of the suitable of veto and for larger European integration that I gave life – not alone, in fact, however I definitely put my very own effort into it – a listing for the following European elections referred to as United States of ‘Europe; however that is one other story.

Many selections are taken unanimously, I used to be saying, however there may be one that may be taken by a certified majority, and it issues the succession of nations to the Presidency of the Council of the Union: it will be sufficient to change the choice taken by the European Council on 1 December 2009, and postpone the Hungarian presidency till after the attainable optimistic decision of the surveillance process pursuant to artwork. 7.1. TUE. It might not be a sanction, the treaties wouldn’t permit it on this type, however a type of safety and self-protection mechanism for the Union itself on its values, corresponding to what occurs with conditionalities on budgetary points. Tusk’s Poland would take over the Presidency of the Council, with the benefits which might be evident to all. It might even be a powerful message to member and candidate international locations on the necessity for everybody to respect the rule of legislation as a prerequisite for collaborating within the Union, benefiting from the only market and European funding. It may possibly due to this fact be executed. However do you need to do it? Right here the difficulty stops being procedural and turns into political. It may be executed if somebody (shortly, as a result of time is brief) takes the initiative to do it and works with the Heads of State and Authorities who sit within the European Council to construct a certified majority of nations attentive to values ​​which might be the inspiration the Union. I due to this fact ask you for the Italian Authorities to shortly take this initiative by involving the opposite member international locations.