The Council of the European Union
The Council of Ministers enacts EU laws, acting on proposals submitted by the Commission.
Since the implementation of the Maastricht Treaty, its official name is the Council of
the European Union.
Comprising Ministers from each member state, the Council strikes a balance between
national and Union interests. Different Ministers participate in the Council
according to the subject under discussion. Agricultural Ministers, for
instance, discuss farm prices in the Agriculture Council, and Economic and
Finance Ministers discuss monetary affairs in the ECOFIN Council. The Ministers
for Foreign Affairs provide overall coordination in the General Affairs
Council. They are also responsible for foreign policy in the framework of the Common
Foreign and Security Policy.
Presidency:
Each Government acts as President of the Council for six months in rotation.
Coreper:
The Council is assisted by a Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper),
comprising member state officials holding ambassadorial rank, and a
Secretariat, with a staff of about 2000.
Voting in the Council: The Council takes most decisions by
qualified majority vote (QMV). Five member states and 25 votes are necessary
for a blocking minority. Unanimity is still required for areas like amendments
to the treaties, taxation, the launch of a new common policy, or the admission
of a new member state.
In the area of CFSP, the Amsterdam Treaty provides that as many as one-third of
member states may "constructively abstain" from a decision while
allowing the others to act together on behalf of the EU. Member states which
constructively abstain may not take any action which impedes the decision made
by the majority. Amsterdam also provides for qualified majority voting in implementing
basic political decisions.
|
MAJORITY VOTING IN THE EU COUNCIL
|
Member State |
Votes |
The Council takes most dicisions by qualified majority
vote (QMV), which will be extended upon ratification of the Amsterdam
Treaty.
Unanimity is still required for areas like amendments to the treaties,
taxation, the launch of a new common policy, the admission of a new member
state, or the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).
Five menber states and 25 votes are necessary for a
blocking minority.
In the area of CFSP, the Amsterdam Treaty proposes that as
many as one-third of member states may "constructively
abstain" from a decision while allowing the others to act
together on behalf of the EU. Member states which constructively abstain
may not take any action which impedes the decision made by the majority. |
|
France
Germany
Italy
United Kingdom |
10
10
10
10 |
|
Spain |
8 |
|
Belgium
Greece
Netherlands
Portugal |
5
5
5
5 |
|
Austria
Sweden |
4
4 |
|
Denmark
Finland
Ireland |
3
3
3 |
|
Luxembourg |
2 |
|
Unanimity
Qualified Majority
|
87
62
|
|
Blocking Minority
|
25
|
The European Council
The European Council brings together Heads of State and Government and the
President of the Commission. It meets at least twice a year, at the end of each
EU member state's six-month presidency. The Single European Act formalized the
European Council, which was not foreseen in the original EC treaties.
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