Link to the University of Pittsburgh
Link to the University Library SystemContact us link
AEI Banner

"When and Why the Council of Ministers of the EU Votes Explicitly"

Hayes-Renshaw, Fiona. and van Aken, Wim and Wallace, Helen. (2005) "When and Why the Council of Ministers of the EU Votes Explicitly". In: UNSPECIFIED, Austin, Texas.

[img]
Preview
PDF
Download (173Kb) | Preview

    Abstract

    This paper reports newly collected empirical data sets on explicitly contested voting at ministerial level in the Council of Ministers of the European Union. These data sets cover the period 1994-2004, with more detail for the years 1998-2004. They provide us with rather steady patterns of explicitly contested voting across the period in terms of: proportions of decisions taken where contested voting was recorded; the different levels of contestation by country; and the issue areas in which explicit voting occurred more often. The data sets draw on the material available on the Council's own website, but they have been supplemented by hand-collected data, in particular as regards issue areas and types of decision. Once arranged appropriately the data sets will be posted on the web, so that other researchers can have access to the material. The initial analysis of the data is reported in the second edition of Hayes-Renshaw and Wallace, The Council of Ministers, Palgrave, forthcoming, Chapter 10. The data show that explicit voting on agreed decisions at ministerial level is rather rare, that in nearly half the roll calls dissent is expressed only by singleton member states, that nearly half the cases concern 'technical' decisions on agriculture and fisheries, and that Germany more often votes 'no' or abstains than any other member state. The data confirm that ministers generally endorse collective decisions by consensus, even on the 70% or so cases where they could activate qualified majority voting (QMV). To the extent that voting takes place in these latter cases, it occurs implicitly rather than explicitly, operates mostly at the level of officials rather than ministers, and is not recorded systematically in publicly accessible form. These patterns are consistent with earlier accounts based on qualitative interview evidence.

    Export/Citation:EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII (Chicago style) | HTML Citation | OpenURL
    Social Networking:
    Item Type: Conference or Workshop Item (UNSPECIFIED)
    Additional Information: This paper is also EUI Working Papers, RSCAS 2005/25.
    Uncontrolled Keywords: Consensus; contestation; decision-making; voting; voting power; voting procedures.
    Subjects for non-EU documents: EU policies and themes > EU institutions & developments > Council of Ministers
    EU policies and themes > EU institutions & developments > institutional development/policy > decision making/policy-making
    Subjects for EU documents: UNSPECIFIED
    EU Series and Periodicals: UNSPECIFIED
    EU Annual Reports: UNSPECIFIED
    Conference: European Union Studies Association (EUSA) > Biennial Conference > 2005 (9th), March 31-April 2, 2005
    Depositing User: Phil Wilkin
    Official EU Document: No
    Language: English
    Date Deposited: 30 Mar 2007
    Page Range: p. 27
    Last Modified: 15 Feb 2011 17:46
    URI: http://aei.pitt.edu/id/eprint/7084

    Actions (login required)

    View Item

    Document Downloads