Question of the Week: What is the least harmful deal on a new system of voting in the Council, which facilitates decision-making?

Date: 27/05/04

EU LEADERS are set to agree on a new system of voting in the Council of Ministers, as part of final negotiations on a European constitution.

Andrew Duff, British Liberal MEP, has been a leading member of the Convention that drew up the draft constitution. We asked him: What is the least harmful deal on a new system of voting in the Council, which facilitates decision-making?

Duff: I think a majority of countries will prefer decisions to be taken when backed by 55% of member states representing 65% of the Union's population.

But they will back this more due to sheer exhaustion than to a rational process.

A 55/65 scheme would not be a disaster for the European Parliament, it could live with that.

I personally prefer 55/55, but anything requiring the backing of more than 65% of the population would stop facilitating decisions in the Council. If we added any 'key' to this equation (for example, to stipulate that a certain number of member states is required to form a blocking minority) that would also be regrettable.

And the public will start asking 'where is the transparency, where is the simplicity that has been promised?' Also, it would be a shame if seats in the Parliament were traded to pacify the arrogance of Spain and Poland [which would see their voting power diminished under the new system].

I suspect this is what might happen as this is what previous intergovernmental conferences have done.

Copyright 2004 The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved.

The question is answered by Andrew Duff, a British Liberal MEP.