Germany and France Lead Six-Nation Finance Ministers' Meeting, Pushing for a "Multi-Speed Europe" to Bypass Unanimity Rule

On January 28, 2026, the finance ministers of Germany, France, Poland, Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands held a video conference, jointly pledging to act as an "engine for European progress" to break deadlocks on key EU projects stalled by complex decision-making. This "multi-speed Europe" initiative, spearheaded by the German and French finance ministers, aims to allow a coalition of willing states to advance shared priorities—like the capital markets union, enhancing the euro's role, coordinating defense investment, and securing critical minerals—without needing unanimous approval from all 27 members.

The German minister stated, "now is the moment for a multi-speed Europe," emphasizing that these six major economies would provide momentum for others to join later. Seen as a direct response to U.S. criticism of slow EU decisions, this reflects a political will among core states, led by Berlin and Paris, to tangibly boost EU competitiveness and defense through flexible, smaller-group cooperation amid security threats and internal divisions, potentially reshaping the bloc's internal power dynamics.