Dutch pensions stay under national veto, cabinet wants

The Dutch cabinet wants decisions on social security and the social protection of workers, including pension systems, to remain subject to unanimity in the EU. Foreign Minister Berendsen said so in answers to questions from the Tweede Kamer, received on 27 October.

The cabinet says these areas are closely tied to national economic, tax and income distribution models. Under Article 153 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, such decisions require unanimity, so every member state, including the Netherlands, can block them.

The answers respond to the European Commission communication "Preparing for a wider Union", published on 6 October. The Commission recommends moving from unanimity to qualified majority voting (QMV) in the Council in several areas. These are parts of the common foreign and security policy, including sanctions and EU statements, measures against tax fraud and tax evasion, fiscal measures in the energy domain, and social security.

For accession negotiations, the Commission proposes QMV for opening negotiating clusters and for other interim decisions.

The cabinet says it wants to contribute to the discussion on effective EU decision-making, while keeping member states able to protect national interests. It will assess each policy area separately to decide whether a move to QMV is desirable.

The European Council of 15 and 16 October had no decisions on the table to move from unanimity to QMV. The cabinet will send its assessment of the Commission communication to the House through the usual information channels.