The European Parliament has given the green light to changing the EU treaties

So? It’s an elected parliament so can vote to change things if a majority are in agreement.

So?

That is a huge proposed development, not just a So!

Can someone give me a link please, as I can’t find it

Thanks in advance
😘

Callistemon21

^So^?

That is a huge proposed development, not just a So!

Well, it would be handy to know what the changes would mean in practice.

I can only find this.
www.socialistsanddemocrats.eu/newsroom/sd-group-supports-targeted-eu-treaty-change
The details are there.

As far as I can see it is about moving to majority voting from unanimity?

It intends to do away with individual countries vetoes.

Closer links leading to uniformity in taxes and defence amongst other policies.

This is from the article in the link.

"Moving to qualified majority voting in almost all policy areas;
Incorporating a Social Progress Protocol into the Treaties;
New shared competence on public health matters;
New exclusive competence on the fight against climate change;
No more unanimity voting on harmonising direct and indirect taxation;
More effective procedure in Article 7 TEU, with a new proposed qualified majority to submit a request for an ECJ decision for breaches of EU values. The European Parliament should also play a proactive role.
New legal basis to fight against all types of discrimination;
Stronger legal basis to fight against gender-based violence and environmental crime."

Where is GrannyGravys OP from. There seems to be no source information. If tha3t's the case it's been made up although for what purpose, who knows ?

Mamie

This is from the article in the link.

"Moving to qualified majority voting in almost all policy areas;
Incorporating a Social Progress Protocol into the Treaties;
New shared competence on public health matters;
New exclusive competence on the fight against climate change;
No more unanimity voting on harmonising direct and indirect taxation;
More effective procedure in Article 7 TEU, with a new proposed qualified majority to submit a request for an ECJ decision for breaches of EU values. The European Parliament should also play a proactive role.
New legal basis to fight against all types of discrimination;
Stronger legal basis to fight against gender-based violence and environmental crime."

Hmm, sounds like it may have been a good idea to leave the EU after all.
I voted to remain but it looks like the Brexiters were right about what the EU was trying to achieve.

Do some people on here not support majority voting in principle then? What would the reasons be for that?

Oreo

Mamie

This is from the article in the link.

"Moving to qualified majority voting in almost all policy areas;
Incorporating a Social Progress Protocol into the Treaties;
New shared competence on public health matters;
New exclusive competence on the fight against climate change;
No more unanimity voting on harmonising direct and indirect taxation;
More effective procedure in Article 7 TEU, with a new proposed qualified majority to submit a request for an ECJ decision for breaches of EU values. The European Parliament should also play a proactive role.
New legal basis to fight against all types of discrimination;
Stronger legal basis to fight against gender-based violence and environmental crime."

Hmm, sounds like it may have been a good idea to leave the EU after all.
I voted to remain but it looks like the Brexiters were right about what the EU was trying to achieve.

But but but if the UK were still a member, it would have had the right to vote against any new proposals.

DaisyAnneReturns

Where is GrannyGravys OP from. There seems to be no source information. If tha3t's the case it's been made up although for what purpose, who knows ?

Definitely not made up, it was a vote in the European Parliament today, Google is your friend.

Mamie

Do some people on here not support majority voting in principle then? What would the reasons be for that?

Do you mean not agreeing with Brexit? That majority vote in the referendum?

growstuff

Oreo

Mamie

This is from the article in the link.

"Moving to qualified majority voting in almost all policy areas;
Incorporating a Social Progress Protocol into the Treaties;
New shared competence on public health matters;
New exclusive competence on the fight against climate change;
No more unanimity voting on harmonising direct and indirect taxation;
More effective procedure in Article 7 TEU, with a new proposed qualified majority to submit a request for an ECJ decision for breaches of EU values. The European Parliament should also play a proactive role.
New legal basis to fight against all types of discrimination;
Stronger legal basis to fight against gender-based violence and environmental crime."

Hmm, sounds like it may have been a good idea to leave the EU after all.
I voted to remain but it looks like the Brexiters were right about what the EU was trying to achieve.

But but but if the UK were still a member, it would have had the right to vote against any new proposals.

And would have lost if they had, although they may have voted for the proposals, of course.

Would only have been 275 against if we had still been in the EU.

A narrow majority voted for Brexit and that hasn’t exactly been a titanic success. Supporters claimed the EU was in collapse and others were envious of the U.K. really??

CoolCoco

A narrow majority voted for Brexit and that hasn’t exactly been a titanic success. Supporters claimed the EU was in collapse and others were envious of the U.K. really??

Success or not, the right decision or not, we should support majority voting in principle.

My understanding is that the quoted changes are simply proposals in a report by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs. It includes a proposal for 267 changes to both treaties - the Treaty on European Union (TEU) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

On the matter of majority voting, not all votes presently require unanimous agreement. For those that don’t, there is a weighted majority vote (not a simple one, so nothing like the Brexit referendum) so that a majority = countries representing 65% of the EU population. I think that is at least 15 of the 27 members. The proposal is to make this a weighted 50+% - it’s a response to the proposed expansion of member countries.

The report was written following a detailed, one year consultation with EU residents.

What was voted on today was moving that report on for discussion by the Council of Ministers for European Affairs on December 12. Even if f they approve all the proposals, there will be a long, multi-stranded process to go through before any changes to the Treaties could be made.

There’s quite a lot of grumping and complaining (and some mis- and dis-information) on social media, predominantly from far-right sources, as extreme right wing groups and caucuses were excluded from the Committee.

The Committee has its own social media accounts, and also has a micro site on the main EU Parliament website for those who are nicely geeky about this stuff

www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/afco/home/highlights

GrannyGravy13

DaisyAnneReturns

Where is GrannyGravys OP from. There seems to be no source information. If tha3t's the case it's been made up although for what purpose, who knows ?

Definitely not made up, it was a vote in the European Parliament today, Google is your friend.

I'm afraid I will think you have misunderstood whatever you read unless you can point us to where you picked it up and post it on here. I have put you first sentance in Google and got nothing saying anything like that.

Just copy and paste the link and the we can read it.

It sounds important but the European Parliament is largely a talking shop. Decisions are made by the Council of Ministers on proposals from the Commission. I doubt this is a serious runner right now.

I have tried every which way to find reference to the OP - zero luck.

Beginning to think that it was an aberration!

I think Siope is correct. This is a narrow majority for proposals that have a long way to go before any possible treaty change.
There is a lot of discontent from right-wing groups.