German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday in Prague “promised” to support the expansion of the European Union to the Balkan countries, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, envisioning an EU with “30 or 36 members”.

“The fact that the EU continues to expand eastward is an advantage for all of us,” the German chancellor said in her speech on the future of Europe in Prague, quoted by AFP.

According to the Chancellor of Germany, in this future configuration of up to 36 members, the rules of work must necessarily evolve.

“In this enlarged Union, differences between member states will grow in terms of political interests, economic power or social systems,” he explained. “Ukraine is not Luxembourg. And Portugal does not look at the challenges of the world in the same way as North Macedonia,” Scholz said.

Thus, “where unanimity is needed today (within the EU), the risk that one country will prevent all others from applying its veto right increases with each new member state,” the German chancellor added.

“That is why we proposed to gradually switch to majority decision-making in the common foreign policy, as well as in other areas, such as fiscal policy,” Scholz explained, not hiding that “this will also have consequences for Germany.”

Scholz also confirmed his support for Emmanuel Macron’s proposal for a “European Political Community”.