EU leaders suggest limiting voting rights of future members

Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg have presented a joint document calling on the European Union to consider temporary restrictions on voting rights for countries that are set to join the bloc. The proposal includes the introduction of stronger protective mechanisms, a monitoring system and a safeguard clause that would allow the EU to act if serious backsliding occurs in areas such as democracy and media freedom. The drive is partly motivated by the experience of Hungary’s democratic decline. The same document notes that Montenegro is expected to join in 2028 while Albania, Ukraine and Moldova are advancing their accession processes, and North Macedonia is slated to begin accession talks. The five states argue that any enlargement decisions, external policy and budget matters require unanimous consent and that the EU should develop detailed rules for transitional voting‑rights limitations for new members.