Milanović cites EU's unanimity rule in talks with North Macedonian counterpart

President Zoran Milanović said the EU's unanimity rule must remain, stressing that "unanimity is enshrined in the founding treaties" and cannot be changed without full consensus among member states.

The rule requires all 27 EU countries to agree on key decisions in sensitive areas such as taxation, foreign policy, treaty changes and enlargement, effectively giving each member a veto. While designed to ensure compromise, it has also led to political gridlock and renewed debate over a shift to qualified majority voting.

Speaking after meeting Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova, Milanović called proposals to abolish unanimity in enlargement decisions "flawed at their core," adding he has opposed them from the outset.

He argued the idea would be unfair to North Macedonia, noting that unanimity would be removed during negotiations but still required for final membership approval. "In the end, the decision on admitting a new member would still have to be unanimous," he said.

Milanović added that unanimity in foreign policy and other sensitive areas is "often a matter of identity and fundamental national interests," serving as "the last safeguard, especially for small states."

On North Macedonia's EU path, he said it had become "a detour, not through any fault of North Macedonia," and warned that the country must decide whether membership is worth the growing demands. "Life outside the EU is also possible," he said, urging its leaders to choose what is in their national interest.