Germany proposes 6-point EU reform plan as global conflicts escalate

Germany on Wednesday proposed a six-point plan to overhaul the EU, saying changes are needed to help the bloc make faster decisions, as global conflicts escalate and spread.

In a speech at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul pointed to the Iran war as the latest “expression of a shifting world order,” arguing that the EU must act quickly to remain effective—particularly on foreign and security policy.

To avoid deadlock when unanimity among the EU’s 27 member states is out of reach, Wadephul proposed allowing a group of EU member countries to move ahead on certain issues without being held back by others.

“My proposal means that countries that are unwilling — or perhaps unable — to take part can stay on the sidelines for a time without preventing those who want to move forward,” he said.

Wadephul also called for replacing the unanimity rule in common foreign and security policy with qualified majority voting, saying the current system allows individual countries to hold up decisions for extended periods.

“Germany wants to change and move things forward in the EU,” he said, adding that Brussels “must increase its speed,” especially in the common foreign and security policy.

Among his six proposals, Wadephul also suggested speeding up the enlargement by introducing a phased accession process, with intermediate steps that would bring prospective members closer to the bloc before full membership.

“I propose that, in the future, the path toward admitting new members be structured as a phased process,” he said, suggesting “enhanced gradual integration” through stages leading to full accession.

He also argued the EU’s institutions must be reformed so they can continue functioning as the bloc grows.

“A union with 33, 34, or 35 member states cannot simply continue to operate using the same approach that was designed for a much smaller group of members,” he said.

Wadephul questioned whether the EU should have one commissioner per member state under an expanded union. Instead, he proposed a smaller but more effective European Commission made up of two-thirds of the number of member countries.