Timmermans wants to reform EU policy, while leaving room for differences

EU policy must be reformed now in the presence of threats from various countries, such as Russia, according to GroenLinks-PvdA leader Frans Timmermans. He will talk about this matter on Saturday, among other things, with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. A day earlier, he wrote an opinion piece on the subject in Trouw.

Timmermans says EU unity is now more important than ever. That is why he believes that the veto, which allows one country to block a resolution, must disappear. Otherwise, Europe will become “paralyzed” by the position of one member state.

It is also necessary to accept countries such as Moldova and Ukraine, which the European Union must prepare for. These countries “threaten to be drawn into instability fueled by Russia,” he wrote in Trouw.

Furthermore, there must be room for different groups within the union, which operate at different “speeds”. For example, a “core Europe” could emerge, consisting of countries that “choose to cooperate closely.” Countries that do not want to can either work together in a group within the EU or participate at a different “speed”.