EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas has issued a warning to EU member states that occasionally try to obstruct bloc-wide policies, particularly regarding Russia, stating that such behavior should not be tolerated.
“Let’s face it, Europe can be slow. Unanimity means we cannot always act with the speed that importance demands. Certainly, there are differences in policies among member states. That’s all natural, but unanimity is also sometimes used by some as a bargaining tool. And it cannot happen that the veto of one country dictates policies for others,” Kallas said.
According to The Guardian, Kallas was likely alluding to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
In remarks that can also be seen as a challenge to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and his recent insistence that Europe cannot defend itself without the U.S., Kallas called for greater European efforts within NATO.
“NATO must become more European to maintain its strength, and for that Europe must act. For example, we need to ensure that our security and defense initiatives remain fully complementary to NATO,” she added.
