Since the Lisbon Treaty, the number of policy areas in the EU requiring unanimity in the Council has decreased.

Omissions

• The passerelle clauses (Article 48(7) TEU and specific sectoral clauses), which are the formal mechanism for moving policy areas from unanimity to QMV without treaty change, have never been used since the Lisbon Treaty entered into force in 2009.
• The claim does not distinguish between the reduction in unanimity areas that the Lisbon Treaty itself brought about upon its entry into force (December 2009) and any subsequent reductions, of which there have been none via the passerelle mechanism.
• The phrasing 'has already shrunk' implies an ongoing or post-Lisbon process, whereas in reality the reduction was a one-off change embedded in the Treaty text itself.
• Sources consulted were published between 2022 and 2024; the SWP Berlin analysis and European Movement article both confirm no passerelle activation through at least 2023–2024.

Sources

• PrimaryCouncil of the European Union (Consilium)The Treaty of Lisbon extended qualified majority voting to new policy areas. QMV is now the main decision-making method used by the Council.
• PrimaryEUR-Lex (European Union)A limited number of policy areas considered to be sensitive remain subject to unanimity voting: taxation; social security or social protection; the accession of new countries to the EU; foreign and common defence policy; operational police cooperation.
• SecondarySWP Berlin (Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik)Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, neither the general nor a specific passerelle clause has been used.
• SecondaryEuropean Movement InternationalEver since the Treaty of Lisbon entered into force in 2009, the 'passerelle' clauses have never been used.