German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday made a new call to reform the European Union to allow new members to join, DPA and Reuters reported, Agerpres reported.

In a speech at the Congress of European Socialists in Berlin, Scholz also said that the principle of unanimity should be gradually abandoned for decisions related to foreign and fiscal policy, but admitted that this would take a lot of persuasion.

“But I say clearly: if our aspiration is a geopolitical Europe, then the decisions made by the majority are a gain, not a loss of sovereignty,” the German chancellor told delegates of the Party of European Socialists (PES). ).

The European Union will honor its promise to the candidate countries, which include several Balkan states, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, he said.

“The European Union with 27, 30, 36 states and with more than 500 million free and equal citizens can have even greater weight in the world,” said Scholz.

“I support the enlargement of the EU. The enlargement of the EU to the east is a victory for all of us,” he also stated.

However, it is important that the concerns of smaller countries are not ignored, the German Chancellor noted.

“In the future, it is necessary to listen to the problems of each country. Anything else would be a betrayal of the European idea,” he emphasized.

Since taking office as chancellor, Scholz has made the EU’s expansion to the Balkans and other countries a foreign policy priority. The topic became even more relevant after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which this summer became a candidate country for joining the EU.