Vijesti: EU plans to strip new members of veto rights on enlargement

The European Union is considering removing the right of new member states to veto future enlargement decisions, Montenegrin daily Vijesti reported, citing European diplomatic sources.

According to the publication, a “near consensus” has formed within the EU on requiring Montenegro to relinquish its power to block the accession of other candidate countries. A similar arrangement may also be introduced for Albania as part of the bloc’s efforts to streamline future enlargement rounds.

Diplomatic sources told Vijesti that the proposal aims to prevent individual states from stalling the entry of new members for bilateral or domestic political reasons — a practice that has complicated EU decision-making in recent years.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has reportedly already signalled Tirana’s readiness to support the initiative. According to Vijesti, Rama stated that Albania has no objections to giving up its veto right and is prepared to back the proposal as part of broader EU reforms.

By Vugar Khalilov