It is becoming increasingly evident that Europe's major powers are seeking to take control of the European Union, posing a fundamental threat not only to Europe's political balance and the enlargement process, but also to the very values upon which the EU was founded and has upheld to this day. This was stated by the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, in a social media post.
According to him, Germany's Foreign Minister announced that twelve countries have already joined Germany's initiative to abolish the principle of consensus in the European Union's decision-making process.
Papuashvili noted that if this initiative is implemented, the European Union would almost certainly transform from a union of equal member states into one governed by the larger countries.
"Membership in the European Union is not an end in itself. This is true not only for current member states, but also for candidate countries. Brexit was the clearest proof of that.
Membership is a tool that enables a country to better protect its national interests, expand its opportunities, and gain influence over international decisions that it could not achieve based solely on its size, economic weight, and political resources.
For smaller states, the principle of consensus is the primary guarantee of this opportunity.
The consensus rule ensures that the voices of smaller countries are not drowned out by the interests of larger states or the arithmetic of the majority. It gives a small state the right to block decisions that are harmful to it and to demand that its national interests be taken into account.
If the principle of consensus is abolished and decision-making becomes entirely dependent on the will of major states or a stable majority, smaller countries will lose this fundamental safeguard. They will no longer be able to defend their vital interests whenever those interests do not align with the political agenda of the majority.
In such a scenario, it would no longer be a matter of voluntarily and proportionately sharing a part of national sovereignty in pursuit of broader economic, political, and security objectives, as is the case today. Instead, it would amount to the near-total loss of real sovereignty," Papuashvili stated.
According to the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, a state that can no longer block decisions it considers unacceptable and that may be forced to accept obligations against its will gradually loses not only its freedom to make decisions but also its very statehood. In his view, such a country is transformed from an independent political entity into a small region or province within a much larger political system.
"Such a model may be advantageous for larger states, as their size, economic strength, and political influence already give them a significant advantage in the decision-making process. However, for smaller countries, this would be a catastrophic change.
Therefore, the question is becoming increasingly relevant: what is the point of membership if its main benefits and instruments of influence are taken away from you from the outset?
Membership in the European Union is important precisely because it allows a country to support decisions that serve its interests, advance its national priorities, and block decisions that would harm it.
If a country is deprived of this ability, then the European Union also loses its significance as a mechanism for protecting national interests. Consequently, both the political appeal of membership and its fundamental motivation disappear.
Moreover, under such conditions, remaining outside the European Union could even prove more beneficial for a small state, as it would at least retain the freedom to make independent decisions.
It should also not be ruled out that one of the indirect objectives of this discussion is to halt the enlargement process altogether. It is becoming increasingly clear that no one is seriously considering admitting new members into the European Union as it exists today.
Candidate countries are being offered not equal membership in the existing Union, but participation in a fundamentally altered system, where they would assume all the obligations of membership while their rights and ability to influence decisions would be significantly restricted.
Therefore, the main question is not only when we will be admitted to the European Union. The real question is: Which European Union are we being invited to join, with what rights, and with how equal a status as members?" Shalva Papuashvili wrote.