EU Foreign Policy Veto Under Pressure
The European Commission and key member states, including Germany’s foreign minister, are intensifying calls to scrap unanimity in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in favour of qualified majority voting. This push has gained momentum after Hungary’s April elections and repeated delays, such as the third attempt needed in July to pass the 21st Russia sanctions package amid objections from several states. It stands out because it directly challenges a core intergovernmental safeguard at a time of geopolitical strain over Ukraine, Israel and enlargement.
Background lies in the long distinction between “low politics” (trade, markets, regulation), where majority voting advanced integration, and “high politics” (security, alliances, force), where Stanley Hoffmann’s “logic of diversity” has prevailed. From the Luxembourg Compromise through Maastricht’s pillars to Lisbon, foreign policy remained consensus-based. Constructive abstention and limited passerelle clauses exist but are rarely used for strategic choices. Recent vetoes or blocks by Hungary, Cyprus, Poland, Greece and Bulgaria illustrate how states protect core interests.
Key tensions include the gap between rhetoric and practice: Germany advocates limiting vetoes yet retained control over Israel-related measures. Abolishing the veto would not create shared threat perceptions or a single European demos capable of legitimising costs; it would allow majorities to impose decisions some states view as security threats. Open questions remain over whether enlargement pressures will force change or whether national situations—geography, history, capabilities—will keep high politics intergovernmental.
Sources: The European Conservative.
Britain’s Neglected Housing Stock
A Spiked analysis highlights Britain’s dual housing failure: chronic undersupply of new homes alongside hundreds of thousands of existing buildings left to decay. A parliamentary report notes that restoring historic properties, vacant upper floors above shops, former mills and civic buildings could yield up to 670,000 homes. Around four million English homes fail the Decent Homes Standard and nearly 94,000 social homes sit vacant awaiting repairs. This stands out as a practical economic issue often overshadowed by calls for greenfield building.
Background includes long-standing planning constraints, population pressures and underinvestment in maintenance. Victorian and Georgian stock, tenements and high-street upper floors deteriorate while new construction struggles with costs and local opposition. Historic churches close at scale (over 3,500 in 15 years, nearly 1,000 at risk), and landmarks like Glasgow School of Art remain unrepaired years after fire. The pattern reflects broader neglect of inherited infrastructure.
Key tensions pit the political focus on new builds against the cheaper, faster potential of renovation. Existing stock is already there, often better built and more desirable, yet ownership fragmentation, regulation and funding shortfalls hinder action. Open questions centre on whether policy will prioritise conservation and reuse to ease shortages without further eroding the built environment that anchors local character and long-term value, or continue treating decay as secondary.
Sources: Spiked.