COUNCIL/EP : EU-27: CHANGES TO THE WEIGHTING OF VOTES IN THE COUNCIL.

With Romania and Bulgaria having joined the EU on 1 January 2007, changes of a technical nature have been made within the European institutions. The consolidated Treaty of the European Communities, published in the Official Journal of the EU on 29 December (E 321 C), indicates the changes that have been made, notably in the weighting of the votes in the Council and the number of representatives elected to the European Parliament.

In the Council, for deliberations that require a qualified majority, the new weighting of votes includes the two new member states. Bulgaria has been given ten votes and Romania fourteen (see table). In future, deliberations in the Council - when being held in response to a proposal from the Commission - will be passed if they receive at least 255 votes out of 345 (73.9%), and with a positive vote from the majority of member states (14 out of 27). The majority was previously obtained with 232 votes out of 321 (72.3%).

In other cases, deliberations in the Council are passed if they receive 255 votes in favour from at least two thirds of member states (18).

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