For the first time, the European Union is poised to bypass individual member states’ veto rights to pass its 16th sanctions package against Russia. Scheduled for release in February to mark three years since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the package involves a procedural shift aimed at streamlining decision-making.
Normally, EU foreign policy decisions require unanimous approval, but the Council plans to reclassify the vote as a “trade” matter rather than foreign policy. This adjustment would allow a qualified majority—half of the member states representing two-thirds of the EU population—to carry the vote.
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski took to social media to highlight this maneuver, calling it a way to block countries like Hungary and Slovakia from using their veto rights to oppose elements of the sanctions package they believe might harm Europe’s economy more than Russia’s.
Sikorski’s remarks hinted that this move could set a precedent for future decisions, sparking concerns about eroding national sovereignty and centralizing power within Brussels. Some critics see it as the EU inching closer to becoming a “superstate.”
“God uses all sorts of people for his purposes,” Sikorski wrote on January 15. “Thanks to PiS [Law and Justice], European funds are tied to the rule of law. Thanks to [Prime Minister Viktor] Orbán, we are moving away from the liberum veto in matters of sanctions.”
This procedural change coincides with Poland’s six-month rotating presidency of the EU Council, and Sikorski’s comments suggest Warsaw is eager to accelerate the EU’s shift toward centralized decision-making.
One contentious aspect of the sanctions package involves plans to sharply increase customs duties on Russian fertilizers, including potash, nitrogen, and phosphate. The goal? To make exporting these products to the EU economically unviable for Russia.
Since the war began, sanctions on Russian fertilizers have driven prices sky-high across Europe and the world, prompting warnings from the United Nations about their impact on global food security. While a UN-brokered deal allows Russian fertilizers to reach the Global South, the EU continues restricting access for its own member states.
Farmers in Hungary and Slovakia, whose agricultural sectors have already faced steep challenges from the sanctions, may have been prepared to veto the measure. Brussels’ push to reclassify the decision as a trade issue effectively sidesteps such opposition, securing a green light for the sanctions.
Critics argue this procedural adjustment isn’t just about fertilizers or sanctions—it’s part of a broader agenda. By establishing qualified majority voting in this instance, the EU is laying the groundwork for similar changes in other areas, gradually phasing out the need for unanimous consent.
Sikorski’s comments reinforce this concern, as he implied that bypassing veto rights could become a standard practice. For nations wary of losing sovereignty, this development adds fuel to long-standing debates about the balance of power between individual member states and Brussels.
While Brussels frames the move as a necessity to counter Russia, opponents view it as a calculated step toward centralization, with significant implications for the EU’s future decision-making processes.
