Qualified majority

The most used voting method in the Council

Qualified majority is the voting system most frequently used in the Council, with about 80% of all EU legislation adopted through it.  

This is because a qualified majority applies when the Council takes decisions under the ordinary legislative procedure, which is the primary decision-making process for adopting EU laws. 

When the Council reaches a qualified majority, an EU legislative act is adopted. 

When is the qualified majority reached?

A qualified majority is reached if two conditions are simultaneously met:

• at least 55% of member states vote in favour (15 out of 27) 
• those member states represent at least 65% of the total EU population 

This procedure is also known as the 'double-majority rule'.

Blocking minority

The blocking minority must include at least four member states. If there are fewer than four countries that vote against, the qualified majority is deemed attained. 

For example, if all but three member states vote in favour of adopting a piece of legislation, the qualified majority is considered reached even if the 24 member states voting in favour represent less than 65% of the total EU population.

In other words, when there are fewer than four Council members voting against, the population criterion becomes irrelevant for determining the qualified majority. 

Abstention

An abstention under qualified majority voting counts as a vote against, and therefore contributes to the (blocking) minority.  

Abstention is not the same as not participating in the vote. Any member can abstain at any time.

Reinforced qualified majority

The reinforced qualified majority system applies when the Council votes on a proposal which is not submitted by the European Commission or the High Representative of the European Union.  

A reinforced qualified majority is reached if two conditions are simultaneously met: 

• at least 72% of member states vote in favour (at least 20 out of 27) 
• member states supporting the proposal represent at least 65% of the EU population 

Special cases

In cases where not all member states participate in the vote, for example due to an opt-out in certain policy areas (e.g. euro, Schengen), specific voting rules apply. These  rules depend on the nature of the proposal.

If the proposal comes from the Commission or the High Representative a decision is reached by qualified majority if 55% of the participating member states, representing at least 65% of the population of the participating member states, vote in favour. In this case, a blocking minority must include at least the minimum number of member states representing more than 35% of the EU population, plus one other member state. 

If the proposal does not come from the Commission or the High Representative, a reinforced qualified majority decision is adopted if 72% of the participating member states, representing at least 65% of the population of the participating member states, vote in favour. 

See also