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Website: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/showPage.ASP?lang=en
Background
The Council of Ministers has been described as the principal decision-making body within the European Union. It has both executive and legislative powers. Its executive powers have devolved in a number of areas (such as the Internal Market) from the Treaties. The Presidency of the Council revolves between the Member States every six months, with presidencies starting on the first of July and first of January each year.
Responsibilities
The main responsibilities of the Council include:
1. Acting as the Community's legislative body on a wide range of issues, exercising that legislative power in co-decision with the European Parliament in a variety of policy areas.
2. Coordination of the general economic policies of the Member States
3. Concluding international agreements with non-member countries
4. Adopting the Community's budget jointly with the European Parliament
5. Coordination of the activities of Member States
Composition
The Council is composed of a representative of each Member State at Ministerial level. It divides its work into several subject-based councils. The senior council within this framework is the Council of Foreign Affairs, which brings together the 25 Foreign Affairs Ministers (referred to as the General Affairs Council).
Qualified Majority Voting
Council, as a general rule, agees by unanimity or near unanimity, even if this is not required. When unanimity is not required, the most widely used method of voting is Qualified Majority Voting (QMV). The number of decisions that can be taken by QMV was extended under the Single European Act, Maastricht Treaty and the Nice Treaty. QMV entails giving the vote of each Member State a weighting, which in broad terms reflects its population - although smaller countries have a higher proportion of votes to the relative size of their population. For political reasons, very few positive decisions are made with small majorities, with presidencies preferring to negotiate until the most possible countries are prepared to accept the proposal on the table.
There has to be, of course, a "tipping point" between success and failure in a vote. To pass, a proposal needs to receive a triple majority - a weighted majority of votes (74%) and a weighted majority of the population of the EU (62%) and a majority of countries (50% or, if not acting on a proposal of the Commission, 67%).
Current voting weights in the Council
 Germany 29 votes (16.7% population)
 United Kingdom 29 votes (12.3% population)
 France 29 votes (12.8% population)
 Italy 29 votes (11.9% population)
 Spain 27 votes (8.9% population)
 Poland 27 votes (7.7% population)
 Romania 14 votes (4.4% population)
 Netherlands 13 votes (3.3% population)
 Greece 12 votes (2.3% population)
 Czech Republic 12 votes (2.1% population)
 Belgium 12 votes (2.1% population)
 Hungary 12 votes (2.0% population)
 Portugal 12 votes (2.1% population)
 Sweden 10 votes (1.8% population)
 Bulgaria 10 votes (1.6% population)
 Austria 10 votes (1.7% population)
 Slovakia 7 votes (1.1% population)
 Denmark 7 votes (1.1% population)
 Finland 7 votes (1.1% population)
 Ireland 7 votes (0.9% population)
 Lithuania 7 votes (0.7% population)
 Latvia 4 votes (0.5% population)
 Slovenia 4 votes (0.4% population)
 Estonia 4 votes (0.3% population)
 Cyprus 4 votes (0.2% population)
 Luxembourg 4 votes (0.1% population)
 Malta 3 votes (0.1% population)
Sources: Votes - Nice Treaty, Populations - Wikipedia
Functioning of the Council
The Council's work is prepared by the Permanent Representatives Committee (COREPER). The influence of COREPER's meetings is often greater than those of the formal Council. COREPER operates on two levels:
1. COREPER I is attended by the deputy permanent representative of the Member States and discusses issues such as the environment and the internal market.
2. COREPER II, which consists of Ambassadors or Permanent Representatives, is more important and discusses issues which include external relations and financial affairs.
A number of working groups also examine legislation proposed by the Commission before it is discussed by COREPER. These groups consist of national experts from the Member States.
The European Council and the Presidency of the Council
The Presidency of the Council is held by each Member State in turn for six months. The importance of the Presidency has increased in recent years. The Presidency must draw up a programme for their six-month incumbency and present it to the Commission and European Parliament. They also arrange and set the agenda for Council meetings. The Presidency represents the Council and Member States at international meetings. Presidencies hand over from one to the next in a rolling three-country system with the incoming presidency being actively briefed by the incumbent and the incumbent being supported and briefed by the previous presidency.
The European Council (not to be confused with the Council of Ministers) is the name given to the regular meetings of the heads of states of the Member States and the President of the Commission. Also referred to as "European summits", they must be held at least twice a year. The European Council discusses issues such as the development of the European Union. The European Council can also meet for Intergovernmental Conferences (IGC), which normally precede any major change in the Treaties.
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