The Council helps member states to shape their interests in specialized policy areas between each other through interstate diplomacy and negotiations. For example, although member states are free to develop its own foreign and defense policy, the Council by using its executive function under its leadership tries to achieve a common foreign and defense policy for member states in European Union. The main aim of the Council is to improve mutual trust and coordination of policies between member states through collective decision-making. In this way, it is possible to improve stability and efficiency with in the functioning of the European Union.
The Council uses unanimity, simple majority or qualified majority voting. In most cases, the Council votes on issues by Qualified Majority Voting, meaning that there must be a minimum of 255 votes out of 345 (73.9 %) and a majority of member states (sometimes a two–third majority). A majority representing 62% of the EU's population may also be taken into account. Unanimity is always used where foreign policy is concerned, and in a number of cases under Police and Judicial Co-operation.
The number of votes held by member states by each country is indirectly on the size of the country population but smaller countries are granted greater number of votes than their population would strictly merit. The aim of such increasing votes of smaller member states is to balance the voices of the larger states with those of the smaller states. After the enlargement of EU in 2007 the voting weights in Council of Ministers distributed is as follows:
• 29 votes: France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom
• 27 votes: Spain and Poland.
• 14 votes: Romania.
• 13 votes: The Netherlands.
• 12 votes: Belgium, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary and Portugal
• 10 votes: Austria, Bulgaria and Sweden
• 7 votes: Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania and Slovakia
• 4 votes: Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Luxembourg and Slovenia.
• 3 votes: Malta
                                      
Treaty of Nice made some changes within the voting system of the Council of Ministers in 2005. According to Nice Treaty;
(1) There is a new definition of QMV (gives weighting vote according to the population of member states). This means that;
        At least 55% of the member states
        At least 15 of the member states
        At least 65% of the population of the EU should give votes in favor in order to create a qualified majority voting. In addition, blocking minority can be occurred at least with 4 member states and QMV is attained if only 3 member states opposes.
Such changes in Nice Treaty brought the question of ``is it possible for the smaller states to create a blocking minority? ‘. Smaller states can create only blocking minority when they made cooperation with the bigger states with in the EU. In other word, member states with small population don not have enough power to take decisions directly; they are somehow dependent on the larger states in order to represent their interests on the EU agenda.
The Council Presidency rotates in every six months between member states. The presidency is responsible for planning, scheduling and chairing meeting of the Council of Ministers and the European Council.
Politically, the presidency acts as a spokesperson in EU external affairs, in other words the Presidency plays an important role for representing the Council of Ministers within the EU and representing EU internationally, for example in United Nations. Currently the Presidency of Council of Minister is in Slovenia.
Legally speaking, Council acts as a Single Entity. However, in practical sense it is divided into several Councils, for example in agriculture and fisheries.
The Secretary General of the Council is the head of the General Secretariat, is currently Javier  Solana. The General Secretariat of the Council carries out the preparation of the meetings, draft reports, translation and assists the Presidency.
Coreper (The Committee of Permanent Representatives )  known as the preparatory body of the Council composed of representatives from member states (ambasssadors and civil servants etc.). The representatives meets weekly in order to prepare the work and tasks of the Council. Coreper is splitted into two groups. Coreper I generally made up of deputy permanent representatives and responsible for preparing technical councils (Internal Market, environment etc.). Coreper II composed of ambassadors  primarily responsible with the functioning of the Genaral  Affairs Council (GAF) that deals with financial, institutional issues. Both Coreper I and Coreper II are independent bodies.
The meetings of Council held in Brussels and its official residence is Justuis Lipkus Building. Each meeting provides simultaneous translation into the official EU languages.
The Council of Ministers has both supranational and national elements. It is national because it represents the national interests through involvement of ministers from each member state. It has also a supranational character because the Council of Ministers has to agree the proposals for them to become law, law-making mechanism within the EU.

Aslıhan Engin

Hamburg Üniversitesi

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