How qualified majority voting works in the EU Council, and Germany's weight in it

The Council of the European Union, in which each member state is represented by a minister who can commit their government, takes most of its decisions by qualified majority. A proposal passes if at least 55% of the member states – in practice 15 of the 27 – vote in favour and together represent at least 65% of the EU's population. This double majority, set out in Article 16 of the Treaty on European Union, is the default rule and applies unless the treaties say otherwise.

Because one of the two tests counts people, not countries, the largest member state carries the most weight. On 1 January 2026 the EU had 452.0 million inhabitants, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical office. Germany, with 83.5 million, accounted for 18.5% of them.

The two tests, and the blocking minority

The member-state test protects the smaller countries: whatever their combined population, a handful of large states cannot pass anything on their own. The population test protects the larger ones: a coalition of many small states cannot outvote countries that are home to most EU citizens.

The table shows how the rules interact. The five largest countries together pass the population test, but as five of 27 they are far short of the 15 states needed. The other 22 countries meet the member-state test easily, but with about 34% of the population they fail the second one. Most decisions therefore need both large and small countries.

To stop a proposal, opponents need a blocking minority: states representing more than 35% of the EU population, a group that must include at least four member states. The four-state rule matters because the three largest countries – Germany, France and Italy – together have 46.8% of the population. Without it, they could block any qualified-majority decision on their own; with it, they need at least one more country.

There is a stricter version too. When a proposal does not come from the European Commission or the EU's High Representative for foreign affairs, a ‘reinforced qualified majority’ applies: 72% of member states, at least 20 of 27, again representing at least 65% of the population.

Unanimity and simple majority

Some decisions still need unanimity, which gives every government a veto. According to the European Parliament's fact sheet, they include taxation, social security and social protection, the admission of new member states, the common foreign and security policy including defence, operational police cooperation, EU finances including the multiannual financial framework – the EU's long-term budget – and treaty changes. A simple majority of 14 members is used only for procedural matters, such as the Council's internal rules.

The treaties contain ‘passerelle’ clauses that allow a move from unanimity to qualified majority in a policy area without formally amending the treaties. The general clause requires a unanimous decision by the European Council, the consent of the European Parliament, and gives national parliaments six months to object. The European Parliament has repeatedly called for wider use of qualified majority voting, for instance on sanctions and in foreign policy.

Votes are rarely the whole story

Even where it could vote, the Council tends to seek consensus, a habit the Parliament's fact sheet traces back to the Luxembourg Compromise of 1966 and the Ioannina Compromise of 1994, which encourages the Council to look for broad agreement when opponents come close to a blocking minority. A study for the European Parliament found that qualified majority voting, and especially the blocking-minority threshold, play a very important role in decision-making even when consensus is ultimately reached, because whether the country holding the Council presidency believes a qualified majority exists shapes the negotiations from the earliest stages.

The presidency rotates every six months; groups of three member states set a joint programme for 18 months. The Council meets in ten configurations, mainly in Brussels, with sessions in Luxembourg in April, June and October.

What it means for Germany

Germany's 18.5% makes it the most important single country for reaching or blocking the 65% threshold, but it cannot block a decision alone, and even together with France, at 33.8% the two fall short of the 35% needed. Because both tests count only votes in favour, a German abstention has the same effect as a no vote.

Germany's position in the Council is set by the federal government, but the Basic Law ties it to parliament. Before taking part in EU legislation, the government must give the Bundestag an opportunity to state its position and take that position into account. The states take part through the Bundesrat. Where the states' legislative powers, the structure of their authorities or their administrative procedures are primarily affected, its position must receive prime consideration. Where exclusive state powers over school education, culture or broadcasting are primarily affected, the Federation delegates the exercise of Germany's rights to a representative of the states named by the Bundesrat, who acts with the participation of, and in coordination with, the federal government. How the Bundesrat used its own EU powers in October 2026 is described in our report on its objection to the EU Affordable Housing Act.