July 2010

The Reform of the UN Security Council

This paper reviews the proposals for reform of the UN Security Council (SC) put forward since the 1950s, and evaluates the most recent ones in order to see whether reform is desirable and/or feasible. The author analyzes key issues at the center of the current debate on SC reform (size of an enlarged Council, categories of membership and regional representation, the veto, SC’s working methods, relations with the General Assembly). He also examines the future role of the EU in the SC, and such issues as closer coordination among EU members and the Lisbon Treaty's safeguards for the rights of permanent members, including the veto.

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