The Group of Friends of Qualified Majority. A pragmatic proposal for the gradual implementation of qualified majority voting in the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy

  • Belén Becerril Atienza Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Spain
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18543/ced.3351
Keywords: Group of Friends of the Qualified Majority, Qualified Majority, Common Foreign and Security Policy

Abstract

The debate on the possible extension of qualified majority voting to the area of Common Foreign and Security Policy is as old as the history of this policy itself. The obstacles to its effective implementation have not disappeared, but the way in which the veto right has been invoked in recent years and the challenges facing the Union on the international stage have provided a powerful incentive for change. The creation in 2023, at Germany’s initiative, of the Group of Friends of Qualified Majority Voting, demonstrated the willingness of several member states to take concrete steps to overcome the veto. This article outlines the alternatives being considered to this end and the proposal put forward by seven ministers of the Group of Friends in 2023. It also discusses the 2024 statement of the members of the Panel of Experts set up to advise the Group of Friends, of which the author of this article was a member. Finally, a proposal is put forward to advance the application of qualified majority voting, taking into account the effectiveness and legitimacy of the decision-making process.

Received: 9 May 2025 
Accepted: 29 May 2025

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Author Biography

Belén Becerril Atienza, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities, Spain

Associate Professor of International Public Law and International Relations at the CEU San Pablo University. She is Director of the journal Política Exterior. She is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Real Instituto Elcano de Estudios Estratégicos e Internacionales. She holds a PhD in Law —Europa Prize for doctoral theses, Comunidad de Madrid— and a «Diplôme d’études spécialisées en Droit International et Européen» from the University of Louvain —with High Distinction—. She has received the Ángel Herrera Award for the Best Teaching Work. She has been deputy director of the Royal Institute of European Studies. She has taught and conducted research in European and American universities. Her areas of specialisation include the history of integration, the institutions of the European Union and Spanish European policy. She is the author of numerous publications, including books and articles in academic journals. Available at https://uspceu-es.academia.edu/BelénBecerril

Published
2025-10-30
How to Cite
Becerril Atienza, Belén. 2025. “The Group of Friends of Qualified Majority. A Pragmatic Proposal for the Gradual Implementation of Qualified Majority Voting in the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy”. Deusto Journal of European Studies, no. 73 (October), 29-57. https://doi.org/10.18543/ced.3351.
Issue
No. 73 (2025)
Section
Articles

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