Brussels 15.05.2026 Today the former EU top diplomat Josep Borrell (pictured) said that the Union in its current form was not able to respond to today’s fast-moving geopolitical realities, arguing that the bloc became increasingly irrelevant in international affairs due to outdated decision-making structures.
Eski AB Dış İlişkiler ve Güvenlik Politikaları Yüksek Temsilcisi Josep Borrell, Avrupa Birliği’nin mevcut yapısının artık küresel krizlere yanıt veremediğini söyledi.
Birliğin oy birliği sistemi nedeniyle karar almakta zorlandığını belirten Borrell, “Uluslararası siyasette… pic.twitter.com/CFeGroUqpQ
— Cumhuriyet (@cumhuriyetgzt) May 15, 2026
“This European Union, the one we have, was not designed for the world in which we live today,” Borrell said in an interview with Belgian broadcaster RTBF, adding that the bloc’s unanimity-based decision-making process prevents swift response to major international crises.
Eski AB Dış İlişkiler ve Güvenlik Politikaları Yüksek Temsilcisi Josep Borrell, Avrupa Birliği’nin mevcut yapısının artık küresel krizlere yanıt veremediğini söyledi.
Birliğin oy birliği sistemi nedeniyle karar almakta zorlandığını belirten Borrell, “Uluslararası siyasette… pic.twitter.com/CFeGroUqpQ
— Cumhuriyet (@cumhuriyetgzt) May 15, 2026
“The decision-making rules are not compatible with the acceleration of history. We continue to want to decide unanimously on events that are happening too fast, very important, and we almost never reach an agreement,” he said. “We are not very relevant to international politics.”
Borrell argued that the EU’s inability to reach consensus on urgent geopolitical issues has weakened its global standing.
Pointing to divisions among member states on burning international issues, Borrell said the bloc often lacks a unified voice and struggles to influence major global developments.
Borrell also called for deeper European integration among willing member states, saying the bloc can no longer function effectively with all 27 countries moving at the same pace.
“We need to build a Union within the Union. A Union within the Union means that with 27 members, even with unanimity, we won’t go any further. We’re held back. With 27, we won’t accomplish much. So we need to find another core group. Not the 27,” he said.
“A few who truly want to move forward with political, economic, and military integration. We need to build a Union within the Union so that those who want to can go further, faster,” Borrell added.
Borrell renewed criticism of Israel’s attacks in Gaza and the West Bank, backing Spain’s position, and calling the war against Iran “illegal”.
“Either you care about international law, you worry about it, or you couldn’t care less. But if you are committed to respecting international law, this war does not respond to an imminent threat, whatever Trump says. It was not authorized by the Security Council,” Borrell concluded.
