Bargaining Power in the European Council

This report aims at providing systematic knowledge about a central, yet under-researched, political body within the European Union, namely the European Council. The closed nature of the meetings and summits of the heads of state and governments makes empirical research on the functioning of the European Council very difficult. Drawing on a large and unique set of interviews with present and former heads of govern-ments and foreign minsters as well as top-level officials, this report fills a gap in the existing literature.

The report addresses the central issue of bargaining power within the European Council. It is argued that structural power is central but that it can be mediated by the threat of veto as well as by personal attributes of political leaders. The author also analyses how leaders seek coalitions in order to gain bargaining power and how bargaining patterns have changed after the enlargement.

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