The EU may ease votes on accession talks. Membership would still need every state's consent

Where one government could lose a veto

The Commission communication distinguishes current practice from the treaty rule for membership. Unanimity for decisions during negotiations is written into the existing negotiating frameworks, but the Commission argues that the Council could agree to use a qualified majority for intermediate steps. Opening a cluster is its explicit example. The document also says other intermediate decisions could be covered, without providing a settled list of every vote that would change.

Under the proposed rule, a single government's refusal would no longer be enough to stop a cluster opening. The Council would still need a qualified majority in favour, and the candidate would still need to satisfy the conditions attached to that stage. The change could therefore remove one procedural obstacle while leaving the substantive assessment and the need to assemble broad support intact. It is a proposal about who can block a vote, not a finding that Ukraine or Moldova has already cleared a particular cluster.

“Under the proposed rule, a single government's refusal would no longer be enough to stop a cluster opening.”

The decision governments have yet to make

The recommendation itself must win agreement from the existing member governments. Reuters reported on 6 October that the wider package needs approval by the 27. Until the Council agrees on the voting change and adjusts the relevant negotiating arrangements, the current unanimity practice remains the operative rule. The first test is whether the 27 governments agree to replace their current cluster-opening rule.

The Commission said its package would feed an October European Council discussion. It described accession roadmaps for Ukraine and Moldova as future work if reform momentum holds. Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos told the Guardian that officials hoped to open further clusters the following week. A stated hope is neither a scheduled Council approval nor evidence that the proposed voting rule will apply to those talks.

The same Commission document also sketches a safeguard for serious breaches after a new member joins, including possible suspension of Council voting rights for a limited period. That is a separate proposal about the conduct of future members. It would not decide whether a negotiating cluster opens for Ukraine or Moldova, and it should not be confused with the proposed change to voting during accession talks.

The final gate remains unanimous

At the end of negotiations, Article 49's admission procedure still requires a unanimous Council decision after the European Parliament gives consent. An accession treaty must then be ratified by every contracting state under its constitutional rules. That final stage leaves each member with a decisive say on entry. Changing votes earlier in the process would not amend the treaty requirement or make admission automatic.

For Ukraine or Moldova, the first observable change would be a Council agreement to revise the negotiating rules, followed by a recorded vote that opens a named cluster by qualified majority despite one government's dissent. That sequence would show that an intermediate decision can proceed without every capital's consent. It would leave a later Article 49 admission decision to a unanimous Council, with Parliament's consent and ratification by all contracting states. Until both the revised rule and such a vote are public, the Commission has offered a way to remove an intermediate veto rather than demonstrated its use.