President Milanović: The initiative to abolish unanimity in EU decision-making has neither my support nor that of the Croatian Government
“The initiative by Slovenia, Germany and several other countries that certain decisions of the European Union should no longer be made unanimously but by a qualified majority, as far as I know, does not have the support of the Croatian Government, nor does it have mine. I believe that unanimity can only be changed through amendments to the fundamental treaties. That is a complicated process, and I see a trap in that. So, unanimity must not be abandoned — in my view, it is an instinctive defense mechanism of small states against much larger ones that do not understand us and do not see us,” said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanović in Durrës on Monday, after taking part in a meeting of the heads of state within the Brdo-Brijuni Process, commenting on the initiative to abolish unanimity in EU decision-making on certain issues.
“That is our historical experience. And I don’t see anything malicious in the Slovenian idea. What the German motives are — that’s a topic for another conversation. Some countries are simply too big to be treated in the same way as others, and they do not allow themselves to be treated as such; they have far greater influence, and this influence simply needs to be kept in check — to make sure that, when choosing leading figures, too much power does not end up in the hands of the largest states. These are dangerous things, at least that’s how I see them,” added President Milanović.
He also commented on statements by the Hungarian Prime Minister, who said that the EU is on the verge of collapse. “The European Union will not fall apart because it is a major project into which so much time and money have been invested. You simply can’t destroy it, even if you wanted to — and none of us wants that. The EU is not falling apart,” said the President, adding: “The EU started as a peace project, but it definitely no longer is. In fact, it is no longer even structurally that, because we have started appointing so-called commissioners for defense. In my opinion, that is not the right path and not something that the European Union — which was designed and structured for something else — can withstand.”
President Milanović believes that the European Union is, above all, a free market. In that context, he pointed out that Great Britain was driven out of the EU nine years ago by the feverish need for the Union to keep expanding and taking on new competences, “which is bad.”
“I see the European Union as a very good extension of what my nation-state — and almost all states in Europe are like that — represents: democratic, open, inclusive. Although these values must be defended today, given the atmosphere in Europe. These are never values you can leave to run on inertia and assume they will last forever or remain unthreatened. But at the foundation of everything are nation-states — not nationalist states, not closed states, not xenophobic states,” said the Croatian President.
Furthermore, President Milanović emphasized that borders also have meaning within the European Union. “Schengen is a great thing, extremely practical, but borders also have their meaning. This is especially understood by countries that had to fight for them in a somewhat different way,” he said, reiterating that he does not believe the European Union is collapsing and that it is “a bit spiteful to say so.” “Colleague Orbán has his own style, his own methodology, and I agree with him on some things and not on others,” he added.
“The European Union must be careful about where it is going and how. There are societies that are not homogeneous — socially, economically, or in terms of their historical perception. There are societies that are divided, and to interfere in them, to intervene from the outside, to try to influence a change of government through various forms of influence and pressure — in which the European Union is not blameless — can be very irresponsible behaviour and can cause trouble in some places,” said President Milanović, emphasizing that Europe’s narrative is “becoming increasingly black-and-white.” “That is not how dialogue can be conducted, that is not how politics can be conducted. That is not how a united Europe can be built. It can be united around certain principles — a common market, structural or cohesion funds, from which we benefit and which I wish also for the Western Balkan states. But that cannot be a substitute for a fundamental national, democratic state,” he said.
President Milanović underlined that he does not see the Brdo-Brijuni Process as a form of mentorship by Croatia and Slovenia toward countries that are not EU members, but as a forum for equal dialogue and exchange of opinions at the highest level. “In my view, this forum is something else, and even more important when we talk about discussion and dialogue at this level. It is a dialogue that is a prerequisite for any relationship — especially good ones. And even if that were its only purpose, it would be worthwhile,” he stressed.
Speaking about the meeting’s topics, President Milanović said that no major conclusions or new initiatives were expected from today’s gathering, but rather an open discussion about the experiences and challenges faced by the countries of the region and by the European Union itself. “One of the bigger problems at this moment is the inability or unwillingness of those who are the real or so-called European leaders to talk with global players. Because circumstances have changed, and the EU is no longer the power it thought it was until quite recently,” said President Milanović.
He added that Croatia remains firmly anchored in the European and Western framework and that it is necessary to adapt political tools to the new global reality.
Finally, he announced that the next Brdo-Brijuni Process meeting will be held in Croatia next year.
PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia / Tomislav Bušljeta