Putting Citizens First: Representation and Power in the European Union
- The European Union's 2007 Intergovernmental Conferences in Brussels and Lisbon agreed on a new composition of the European Parliament, and on a new voting system for the Council of Ministers. For the legislative period 2009-2014, the seats of the European Parliament are assigned to the 27 Member States following a proposal of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, plus one additional seat for Italy, here referred to as the "AFCO + 1" seat allocation. Starting in 2014, the Council of Ministers will use a "Double Majority" voting system, whereby an act is adopted if carried by at least 55 percent of the Member States representing 65 percent of the Union's population. The resolution of the European Parliament (2007) draws attention to the overall reform package for the Union's institutions and demands that a future reform should at all events correct any inequalities which have arisen for historical reasons. As a contribution to the prospective debate we here discuss two citizen-basedThe European Union's 2007 Intergovernmental Conferences in Brussels and Lisbon agreed on a new composition of the European Parliament, and on a new voting system for the Council of Ministers. For the legislative period 2009-2014, the seats of the European Parliament are assigned to the 27 Member States following a proposal of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs, plus one additional seat for Italy, here referred to as the "AFCO + 1" seat allocation. Starting in 2014, the Council of Ministers will use a "Double Majority" voting system, whereby an act is adopted if carried by at least 55 percent of the Member States representing 65 percent of the Union's population. The resolution of the European Parliament (2007) draws attention to the overall reform package for the Union's institutions and demands that a future reform should at all events correct any inequalities which have arisen for historical reasons. As a contribution to the prospective debate we here discuss two citizen-based procedures, a "Fix + Prop." seat apportionment for the European Parliament, and the "Jagiellonian Compromise" voting system for the Council of Ministers. A shift to the envisioned citizen-based procedures turns out to go along with a surprisingly balanced compensation of weights, between the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers.…
