Finland's Minister for Foreign Affairs, whose country holds the Presidency of the EU Council, Pekka Haavisto, called for a qualified majority vote in the Council on foreign policy issues, on Monday 2 September.
“We support the idea of qualified majority voting in foreign policy. So far, there have been too many cases where we have been silent because we did not agree”, particularly on human rights, he explained when presenting the priorities of the Finnish Presidency to the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs.
A year ago, the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, proposed the end of unanimity in several areas of EU foreign policy (see EUROPE 12094/4).
Mr Haavisto therefore took stock of the priorities, putting the climate at the centre of the Finnish Presidency's action. “The Finnish Presidency could lead the way on climate change. Not only by respecting the Paris Agreement. There are so many countries in the world that are dragging their feet, hesitating on climate issues. Perhaps we have the power to argue in favour of the climate and the challenges ahead and on the leading role the EU could play in the concept of a low-carbon economy”, he told MEPs.
He highlighted climate innovations, but also the Arctic, one of the priorities of the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 12294/16). “The EU should be more aware and more active on Arctic policy, to design a policy which is not a breeding ground for conflict”, he also warned. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)