{"id":40100,"date":"2025-10-06T17:36:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T15:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/?post_type=news&p=40100"},"modified":"2025-10-07T09:38:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T07:38:36","slug":"president-milanovic-the-initiative-to-abolish-unanimity-in-eu-decision-making-has-neither-my-support-nor-that-of-the-croatian-government","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-the-initiative-to-abolish-unanimity-in-eu-decision-making-has-neither-my-support-nor-that-of-the-croatian-government\/","title":{"rendered":"President Milanovi\u0107: The initiative to abolish unanimity in EU decision-making has neither my support nor that of the Croatian Government"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe 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 \u2014 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,\u201d said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107 in Durr\u00ebs 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat is our historical experience. And I don\u2019t see anything malicious in the Slovenian idea. What the German motives are \u2014 that\u2019s 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 \u2014 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\u2019s how I see them,\u201d added President Milanovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also commented on statements by the Hungarian Prime Minister, who said that the EU is on the verge of collapse. \u201cThe 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\u2019t destroy it, even if you wanted to \u2014 and none of us wants that. The EU is not falling apart,\u201d said the President, adding: \u201cThe 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 \u2014 which was designed and structured for something else \u2014 can withstand.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Milanovi\u0107 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, \u201cwhich is bad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see the European Union as a very good extension of what my nation-state \u2014 and almost all states in Europe are like that \u2014 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 \u2014 not nationalist states, not closed states, not xenophobic states,\u201d said the Croatian President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, President Milanovi\u0107 emphasized that borders also have meaning within the European Union. \u201cSchengen 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,\u201d he said, reiterating that he does not believe the European Union is collapsing and that it is \u201ca bit spiteful to say so.\u201d \u201cColleague Orb\u00e1n has his own style, his own methodology, and I agree with him on some things and not on others,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe European Union must be careful about where it is going and how. There are societies that are not homogeneous \u2014 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 \u2014 in which the European Union is not blameless \u2014 can be very irresponsible behaviour and can cause trouble in some places,\u201d said President Milanovi\u0107, emphasizing that Europe\u2019s narrative is \u201cbecoming increasingly black-and-white.\u201d \u201cThat 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 \u2014 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Milanovi\u0107 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. \u201cIn 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 \u2014 especially good ones. And even if that were its only purpose, it would be worthwhile,\u201d he stressed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking about the meeting\u2019s topics, President Milanovi\u0107 said that no major conclusions or new initiatives were expected from today\u2019s gathering, but rather an open discussion about the experiences and challenges faced by the countries of the region and by the European Union itself. \u201cOne 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,\u201d said President Milanovi\u0107.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, he announced that the next Brdo-Brijuni Process meeting will be held in Croatia next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n \n <\/a>\n \n <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

PHOTO: Office of the President of the Republic of Croatia \/ Tomislav Bu\u0161ljeta<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe 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 \u2014 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,\u201d said the President of the Republic Zoran Milanovi\u0107 in Durr\u00ebs 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":40092,"template":"","news-cat":[12],"class_list":["post-40100","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-cat-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPresident Milanovi\u0107: The initiative to abolish unanimity in EU decision-making has neither my support nor that of the Croatian Government - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.predsjednik.hr\/en\/news\/president-milanovic-the-initiative-to-abolish-unanimity-in-eu-decision-making-has-neither-my-support-nor-that-of-the-croatian-government\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"President Milanovi\u0107: The initiative to abolish unanimity in EU decision-making has neither my support nor that of the Croatian Government - President of the Republic of Croatia - Zoran Milanovi\u0107\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cThe 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. 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