When the Council votes on a proposal by the Commission or the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, a qualified majority is reached if two conditions are met:

55% of member states vote in favour - in practice this means 15 out of 27

vote in favour - in practice this means 15 out of 27 the proposal is supported by member states representing at least 65% of the total EU population

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

55% of the EU countries 65% of the EU population

Blocking minority

The blocking minority must include at least four Council members representing more than 35% of the EU population.

Special cases

When not all Council members participate in the vote, for example due to an opt-out in certain policy areas, a decision is adopted if 55% of the participating Council members, representing at least 65% of the population of the participating member states, vote in favour.

When the Council votes on a proposal not coming from the Commission or the high representative a decision is adopted if, the so-called 'reinforced qualified majority' is reached:

at least 72% of Council members vote in favour

they represent at least 65% of the EU population

Abstentions

An abstention under qualified majority voting counts as a vote against. Abstention is not the same as not participating in the vote. Any member can abstain at any time.

The 'standard' voting method in the Council

Qualified majority is the most widely used voting method in the Council.

It's used when the Council takes decisions during the ordinary legislative procedure, also known as co-decision. About 80% of all EU legislation is adopted with this procedure.