It has traditionally been deployed following a council decision taken by qualified majority voting, but during the final phase of this year's negotiations, certain countries blocked all progress by insisting on introducing a requirement for unanimity which the EP and indeed most EU members and the European Commission could not accept.
Tie parasti ir bijuši lietoti pēc Padomes lēmuma, kurš pieņemts ar kvalificētu vairākumu, taču šī gada sarunu beigu raundā dažas dalībvalstis pieprasīja, lai šādi lēmumi turpmāk tiktu pieņemti vienbalsīgi, kas bija nepieņemami gan Parlamentam, gan vairākumam dalībvalstu un arī Eiropas Komisijai.