He urged the European Parliament to abandon unanimous decision-making on foreign policy and security issues and be content with a majority vote in order to speed up the coordination of issues such as the imposition of sanctions against third countries.

Voting on sanctions requires a unanimous decision of all EU member states. Last week, after weeks of wrangling, the European Union introduced its sixth round of sanctions against Russia. Hungary blocked the approval of new sanctions by opposing the Russian oil embargo.

In a statement, the European Parliament noted that “the approval of the sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia was another confirmation that it is necessary to review the decision-making process in the Council of the European Union. We need the political will to make foreign policy decisions by a qualified majority. This will enhance the effectiveness of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy.”