Single-country veto in European Council should be abolished - Stakis

RIGA - Latvian MEP Martins Stakis (Progressives) said in an interview with Latvian commercial TV3 television today that it would be necessary to abolish the veto option for one country in the European Council.

Taking into account Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's stance on aid to Ukraine, Stakis said that the Hungarian leader is unlikely to change his position, so the only option is to remove the veto at the first opportunity. 

"It is my opinion that in order to veto an issue, one country should not be enough, several countries should agree on it," the politician said.

He stressed that whatever the outcome of the US election, Europe will remain one of the biggest supporters of Ukraine, with strong support in the European Parliament.

As for EU enlargement, in Stakis' view Serbia is moving away from EU membership as it moves closer to Russia. At the same time, Montenegro and Albania are the closest to EU membership. Ukraine is also on its way to EU membership, but it remains to be seen whether it should fulfil all the conditions for joining the bloc. The situation in Georgia, on the other hand, much depends on the outcome of the elections.