Nine EU countries, including Slovenia, have initiated a procedure to change the EU decision-making system, proposing that decisions on the EU foreign and security policies are reached by a qualified majority and no longer by consensus, the German Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

The nine countries have formed a group to launch the process of initiating the changes to strengthen the EU as a global player capable of making decisions more quickly. Apart from Slovenia, the group also includes Germany, Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Spain.

"The aim of this Group of Friends is to increase the effectiveness and speed of EU foreign policy decision-making. Against the backdrop of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the growing international challenges facing the EU, the members of the Group of Friends are convinced that decision-making procedures in EU foreign policy need to be adapted in order to strengthen the EU as a global player.

"Improved decision-making is also crucial in the face of other future tasks of the EU," the countries say in a statement published in German on Twitter by the Germany ministry. The group aims to make concrete progress in the decision-making process based on existing provisions in the Treaty on European Union.

The group will work closely with all EU members as well as EU institutions. Membership of the group is open to all member states with an interest in improving decision-making processes in EU foreign policy, in particular through qualified majority voting.

There have been several calls for decision-making by a qualified majority in the past, but none of them have been successful. Small EU countries in particular have been concerned that they will no longer be taken into account if they lose the possibility of a veto.

Voting by a qualified majority means that a legislative proposal would need to be confirmed by at least 15 of the 27 EU member states which must together represent at least 65% of the EU's population.