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What is the EU veto and why is it so hard to refor

EuroNews · · 1452 words · By Leticia Batista Cabanas; Elisabeth Heinz
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/03/31/to-survive-the-eu-needs-to-break-o…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

11 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

help Insufficient Evidence 8
verified Verified By Reference 2
schedule Pending 1
verified
“Hungary's opposition to the €90bn package for Ukraine is the latest of 48 vetoed European Council decisions.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries provide no direct evidence about Hungary's 48 vetoes or the specific €90bn Ukraine package veto. The cited sources discuss unrelated topics (Ukraine's EU accession, Hungarians in Ukraine, and Ukraine's geography).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 28 February 2022, four days after it was invaded by Russia, Ukraine applied for membership of the European Union (EU). Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested immediate admission under a …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accession_of_Ukraine_to_the_Eu…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Hungarians in Ukraine numbered 156,600 people according to the Ukrainian census of 2001, representing the third largest national minority in the country. Hungarians are primarily concentrated in the r…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungarians_in_Ukraine
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the north; Poland and Slova…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukraine
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“The veto right allows member states to block Council decisions in areas where treaties require unanimity instead of majority voting.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the existence of a veto mechanism for blocking decisions requiring unanimity.
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“Activating this power can send the entire EU into a political gridlock: one opposing member state is enough to halt proposed actions from being adopted.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia entries confirm that the Council of the European Union requires unanimity for specific areas (e.g., foreign policy, defense) and qualified majority voting (QMV) for others. This directly supports the claim that a single state can block decisions requiring unanimity.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and less formally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_the_European_Union
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — EU Council may refer to the two following Brussels-based EU institutions: The Council of the European Union (occasionally named "Council of Ministers", simply "The Council", also stylised in Latin as…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EU_Council
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The presidency of the Council of the European Union is responsible for the functioning of the Council of the European Union, which is the co-legislator of the EU legislature alongside the European Par…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_the_Council_of_t…
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“National governments use this right only if they consider that Council decisions harm their sovereign interests.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the specific claim about the use of veto power being tied to sovereignty concerns.
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“According to Michal Ovádek, member states have used their veto power 48 times against foreign policy files, budgetary decisions, and enlargement steps.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the claim about Michal Ovádek's statements on veto counts.
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“With 21 vetoes, Hungary is by far the most obstructionist county. Poland halted 7 Council decision, followed by Greece, the Netherlands and Austria with 2 vetoes.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the specific claim about Hungary's 21 vetoes.
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“In 2009, the Lisbon Treaty expanded qualified majority voting. Today, unanimity remains in key policy areas: common foreign policy and security, defence, enlargement, treaty changes, and parts of the EU budget.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the claim about the Lisbon Treaty's impact on unanimity requirements.
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“European Council, President António Costa said that 'no one can blackmail the European Institutions' after Hungary vetoed the Ukraine loan during the March European Council Summit.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the claim about António Costa's statements on EU institutions.
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“In December 2023, member states came up with this famous coffee break where Viktor Orbán left the room, then the rest could decide.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the claim about the December 2023 'coffee break' bypassing Hungary's veto.
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“Article 7 was triggered against Poland in 2017 and closed in 2024, and against Hungary in 2018.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided sources to confirm or refute the claim about Article 7 procedures for Poland and Hungary.
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“The EU can decide to link access to funds to respect for rule-of-law standards, like it happened with billions of funds to Hungary.”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.