Home / Summaries / Class notes - Tweeupp / population-member-qmv

Voting and consensus patterns

4 important questions on Voting and consensus patterns

One of the most substantively important changes for the Council contained in the Lisbon Treaty is a revision of QMV after 1 November 2014, which what?

Simplifies the procedure by dropping weighted votes entirely, and revising the tresholds for population and member state majorities. Thus the anticipated 'new' system for QMV in 2014 will still be based on a 'supermajoritarian' decision-making rule, but on a 'double majority' calculation that is arguably easier to understand and fairer to all.

The new QMV system is based on which two treshold requirements?

- At least 55% of the member states (that is, at least fifteen in an EU27);
- Representing at least 65% of the total EU population.

An additional clause requires what?

At least four member states to form a 'blocking minority'. (This provides safeguards against hypothetical big-state coalitions that could be used to block legislation. (Any three of the big four - Germany, France, the UK, Italy - represent more than 35% of the EU's population.)).

Why is voting a relatively uncommon occurrence in the EU?

Because there is a highly ingrained culture of consensus and it is simply considered inappropriate to 'push for a vote' where there are one or more delegations with remaining objections or difficulties.