Ursula von der Leyen on New Rules for Unfreezing Russian Assets in the EU

In the European Union, the unfreezing of Russian assets can now be carried out if the decision is supported by a qualified majority of EU countries. This was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

According to her, the new decision-making mechanism within the EU allows for addressing such sensitive issues not by unanimity but through a qualified majority. This means that at least 60 percent of EU member countries must vote in favor of the initiative, which translates to a minimum of 16 out of 27 countries.

In addition to the number of countries, the demographic factor is also important; the states voting in favor must represent more than 55 percent of the total population of the European Union. Only when both of these conditions are met simultaneously can the decision be considered adopted.