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Methods employed for the adoption of legislative acts

There are several adoption methods applied to legislative acts.

  • Simple Majority

    A simple majority vote means that the decision that is taken is the one that wins the most votes.

    This voting rule is applicable for example during a first reading in European Parliament, as part of the codecision procedure.

  • Absolute Majority

    To win during an absolute majority vote at least half of the votes of the total possible must be won plus one.

    In the European Parliament the absolute majority is now 369 votes with the 736 MEPs elected in June 2009. After the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1st December 2009 their number will rise to 754 and the absolute majority will then be 378. As from 2014 the absolute majority will be 376 out of 751 MEPs.

    This notably applies on second reading as part of the codecision procedure.

  • Qualified Majority

    In the Council of Ministers each country has a weighting ie a specific number of votes according to its demographic weight.

    Country
    Number of Votes
    AllemagneGermany

    29
    AutricheAustria

    10
    BelgiqueBelgium

    12
    BulgarieBulgaria

    12
    ChypreCyprus

    4
    DanemarkDenmark

    7
    EspagneSpain

    27
    EstonieEstonia

    4
    FinlandeFinland

    7
    FranceFrance

    29
    GrèceGreece

    12
    HongrieHungary

    12
    IrlandeIreland

    7
    ItalieItaly

    29
    LettonieLatvia

    4
    LituanieLithuania

    7
    LuxembourgLuxembourg

    4
    MalteMalta

    3
    Pays-BasThe Netherlands

    13
    PolognePoland

    27
    PortugalPortugal

    12
    République tchèqueCzech Republic

    12
    RoumanieRomania

    15
    Royaume-UniUK

    29
    SlovaquieSlovakia

    7
    SlovénieSlovenia

    4
    SuèdeSwede

    10
    Source: www.eur-lex.europa.eu

    For a decision to be adopted it must receive:
    - 255 votes out of 345;
    - a favourable vote on the part of the majority of the Member States ie at least 14 countries;
    A Member State can ask for the qualified majority to correspond with at least 62% of the European Union's total population.

    This voting weighting system will remain in place until 1st November 2014. As from November 1st 2014 the new rule of double majority will enter into force but until 31st March 2017 any Member State will be able to demand that voting takes place according to the rule applied before 2014, and this in line with the protocol on transitional measures. Double majority rules: decisions taken by 55% of the Member States representing 65% of the Union’s population. Finally according to the Ioannina Compromise 25% of the States ie 7 countries or the States representing 19% of the population will be able to counter a decision being taken by the qualified majority within a reasonable lapse of time.

    The perimeter of the qualified majority extends to new areas: 44 new articles are now concerned which makes a total of 113 articles.

  • Unanimity

    In certain sensitive areas such as taxation, social security, foreign policy or common defence the Council of Ministers continues to apply the unanimous voting method.