On December 6, 2024, the E.U.
finally—meaning more than twenty years after negotiations had begun—reached a
free-trade agreement with Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The deal
would cover 780 million people, but the completion of the negotiations between
the E.U. president and those of the South American countries was “just a first
stage before a long process”[1]
that would require passage by a qualified majority vote—meaning 55% of the E.U.
states and 55% of the E.U. population—in the E.U. Council and in the
European Parliament and in enough state legislatures. Presumably if
enough state ministers for trade in the E.U. Council vote yes, their respective
state governments would go along and also be sufficient for final passage. I
contend that the requirement that enough state legislatures also vote yes on
the deal is excessive.
The full essay is at "Euroskeptic Anti-Federalism."
