German leaders outline vision for larger, more coherent EU

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on the growing European Union to agree on a series of changes to help it overcome internal divisions and take on external rivals such as Russia and China.

In a wide-ranging speech at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, Mr Scholz said the EU must make more decisions by majority vote, rather than requiring unanimity on all issues that have allowed individual member states to veto key decisions in the past.

“We have to remember that an oath of allegiance to the principle of unanimity is only valid when there is little pressure to act,” said Mr Scholz, who saw Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a wake-up call for a change in the EU’s approach. It needs to be decided.

Mr. Scholz suggested allowing the majority to decide on pressing issues such as sanctions or human rights policy, with those unwilling to explicitly support the vote choosing to abstain without blocking unanimous passage.

Similar reforms to the way each member state is represented in the EU’s executive committee could allow commissioners to share responsibility in certain areas, he said.

With Europe lagging behind global rivals in digitization and space exploration, Mr Scholz said the EU could become a global leader in the transition to a green economy, which would also help reduce reliance on foreign energy suppliers.

In his speech, Mr Scholz repeatedly referred to the threat Russia posed to the EU under its authoritarian president, warning that “any disunity, any weakness between us is (Vladimir) Putin’s mill”.

“We must come together to resolve old conflicts and find new solutions,” he said, noting that the EU needs to overcome longstanding tensions among its member states over immigration and fiscal policy.

Mr. Scholz’s speech echoes proposals made by French President Emmanuel Macron in recent months.

But smaller countries are likely to embrace it cautiously, fearing that overhauling the EU’s clumsy decision-making process to allow more votes to pass with a two-thirds majority could be ignored.

Mr Scholz said the EU “cannot stand idly by while due process principles are violated and democratic oversight undermined”, but called for solidarity in the face of mounting pressure from outside.

“If not now, when will we overcome the differences that have plagued and divided us for years?” he asked.

Germany, which until recently lagged other NATO nations in military spending, plans to invest heavily in its air defense systems in the coming years, Mr. Scholz said.

He said the system was designed so that its European neighbors could join.