Parties in the European Council during 2006

The member-states of the European Union by the European parliamentary affiliations of their leaders, as of 1 January 2006.

This article describes the party affiliations of the leaders of each member-state represented in the European Council during the year 2006. The list below gives the political party that each head of government, or head of state, belongs to at the national level, as well as the European political alliance to which that national party belongs. The states are listed from most to least populous. More populous states have greater influence in the council, in accordance with the system of Qualified Majority Voting.

## Summary

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Party  | 1 January 2006  | 17 May 2006  | 4 July 2006  | 4 September 2006  | 6 October 2006

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#  | QMV  | #  | QMV  | #  | QMV  | #  | QMV  | #  | QMV
European People's Party | 11  | 144  | 10 | 115 | 9 | 108 | 9  | 108  | 10 | 118
Party of European Socialists | 6  | 102  | 6  | 102  | 7 | 109 | 6 | 97 | 5 | 87
Alliance for Europe of the Nations | 2  | 34  | 2  | 34  | 2  | 34  | 2  | 34  | 2  | 34
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party | 4  | 30  | 4  | 30  | 4  | 30  | 4  | 30  | 4  | 30
Independent | 2  | 11  | 2  | 11  | 2  | 11  | 2  | 11  | 2  | 11
European Democratic Party | 0  | 0  | 1 | 29 | 1  | 29  | 1  | 29  | 1  | 29
Movement for European Reform | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 1 | 12 | 1  | 12

## List of leaders (1 January 2006)

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Member-state | Votes | Leader | National party | European party

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Germany  | 29  | Angela Merkel | CDU | EPP
United Kingdom  | 29  | Tony Blair | Lab | PES
France  | 29  | Jacques Chirac | UMP | EPP
Italy  | 29  | Silvio Berlusconi | FI | EPP
Spain  | 27  | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | PSOE | PES
Poland  | 27  | Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz | PiS | AEN
Netherlands  | 13  | Jan Peter Balkenende | CDA | EPP
Greece  | 12  | Kostas Karamanlis | ND | EPP
Czech Republic  | 12  | Jiří Paroubek | ČSSD | PES
Belgium  | 12  | Guy Verhofstadt | VLD | ELDR
Hungary  | 12  | Ferenc Gyurcsány | MSZP | PES
Portugal  | 12  | José Sócrates | PS | PES
Sweden  | 10  | Göran Persson | SAP | PES
Austria  | 10  | Wolfgang Schüssel | ÖVP | EPP
Slovakia  | 7  | Mikuláš Dzurinda | SDKÚ | EPP
Denmark  | 7  | Anders Fogh Rasmussen | V | ELDR
Finland  | 7  | Matti Vanhanen | Kesk. | ELDR
Ireland  | 7  | Bertie Ahern | FF | AEN
Lithuania  | 7  | Valdas Adamkus | Independent
Latvia  | 4  | Aigars Kalvītis | TP | EPP
Slovenia  | 4  | Janez Janša | SDS | EPP
Estonia  | 4  | Andrus Ansip | RE | ELDR
Cyprus  | 4  | Tassos Papadopoulos | DIKO | Independent [1]
Luxembourg  | 4  | Jean-Claude Juncker | CSV | EPP
Malta  | 3  | Lawrence Gonzi | PN | EPP

^ DIKO's MEP is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament, but the party is not formally attached to any pan-European organization.

## Changes during the year

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### Affiliation

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Date  | Member-state  | Leader  | National party  | European party

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17 May  | Italy  | Romano Prodi | Independent [2] | EDP
4 July  | Slovakia  | Robert Fico | SMER-SD | PES
4 September  | Czech Republic  | Mirek Topolánek | ODS | MER
6 October  | Sweden  | Fredrik Reinfeldt | M | EPP

^ Prodi officially aligns himself only with his The Olive Tree coalition rather than any member-party, but he was previously a member of Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy's ancestor-party and is honorary president of its European parent, the EDP.

### Office-holder only

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Date  | Member-state  | Leader  | National party  | European party

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14 July  | Poland  | Jarosław Kaczyński | PiS | AEN

## See also

[edit]

* Presidency of the Council of the European Union

## External links

[edit]

* Council of the European Union (official website)

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* António Costa, President (non-voting)

* Stocker (AT)
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* Plenković (HR)
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* Fiala (CZ)
* Frederiksen (DK)
* Michal (EE)
* Orpo (FI)
* Macron (FR)
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* Meloni (IT)
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* Nausėda (LT)
* Frieden (LU)
* Abela (MT)
* Schoof (NL)
* Tusk (PL)
* Montenegro (PT)
* Dan (RO)
* Fico (SK)
* Golob (SI)
* Sánchez (ES)
* Kristersson (SE)

* von der Leyen, President of the Commission (non-voting)

* Kallas (High Representative) (present non-member, non-voting)
* Metsola (President of the Parliament) (partially attending, non-member, non-voting)

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