Parties in the European Council during 2008

The member-states of the European Union by the European party affiliations of their leaders, as of 1 January 2008.

This article describes the party affiliations of leaders of each member-state represented in the European Council during the year 2008. 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

[edit]

Party  | 1 January 2008  | 28 February 2008  | 20 March 2008  | 8 May 2008  | 21 November 2008

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#  | QMV  | #  | QMV  | #  | QMV  | #  | QMV  | #  | QMV
European People's Party | 10  | 145  | 10  | 145  | 11 | 157 | 12 | 186 | 11 | 182
Party of European Socialists | 7  | 107  | 7  | 107  | 7  | 107  | 7  | 107  | 8 | 111
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party | 5  | 34  | 5  | 34  | 4 | 22 | 4  | 22  | 4  | 22
European Democratic Party | 1  | 29  | 1  | 29  | 1  | 29  | 0 | 0 | 0  | 0
Movement for European Reform | 1  | 12  | 1  | 12  | 1  | 12  | 1  | 12  | 1  | 12
Independent | 2  | 11  | 1 | 7 | 1  | 7  | 1  | 7  | 1  | 7
Alliance for Europe of the Nations | 1  | 7  | 1  | 7  | 1  | 7  | 1  | 7  | 1  | 7
Party of the European Left | 0  | 0  | 1 | 4 | 1  | 4  | 1  | 4  | 1  | 4

## List of leaders (1 January 2008)

[edit]

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

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Germany  | 29  | Angela Merkel | CDU | EPP
United Kingdom  | 29  | Gordon Brown | Lab | PES
France  | 29  | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | EPP
Italy  | 29  | Romano Prodi | Independent [1] | EDP
Spain  | 27  | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | PSOE | PES
Poland  | 27  | Donald Tusk | PO | EPP
Romania  | 14  | Traian Băsescu | Independent[2] | EPP
Netherlands  | 13  | Jan Peter Balkenende | CDA | EPP
Greece  | 12  | Kostas Karamanlis | ND | EPP
Czech Republic  | 12  | Mirek Topolánek | ODS | MER
Belgium  | 12  | Guy Verhofstadt | Open Vld | ELDR
Hungary  | 12  | Ferenc Gyurcsány | MSZP | PES
Portugal  | 12  | José Sócrates | PS | PES
Sweden  | 10  | Fredrik Reinfeldt | M | EPP
Austria  | 10  | Alfred Gusenbauer | SPÖ | PES
Bulgaria  | 10  | Sergei Stanishev | BSP | PES
Slovakia  | 7  | Robert Fico | SMER-SD | PES
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  | Ivars Godmanis | LPP/LC | ELDR
Slovenia  | 4  | Janez Janša | SDS | EPP
Estonia  | 4  | Andrus Ansip | RE | ELDR
Cyprus  | 4  | Tassos Papadopoulos | DIKO | Independent [3]
Luxembourg  | 4  | Jean-Claude Juncker | CSV | EPP
Malta  | 3  | Lawrence Gonzi | PN | EPP

^ Prodi's Democratic Party had yet to determine which European party it would belong to. Prodi's political background was on the Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy side of the PD's ancestry, and he personally was honorary president of Daisy's European parent, the EDP. ^ Supported by PD-L ^ 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

[edit]

### Affiliation

[edit]

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

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28 February  | Cyprus  | Demetris Christofias | AKEL | PEL [4]
20 March  | Belgium  | Yves Leterme | CD&V | EPP
8 May  | Italy  | Silvio Berlusconi | FI | EPP
21 November  | Slovenia  | Borut Pahor | SD | PES

^ AKEL holds only observer status with the Party of the European Left.

### Office-holder only

[edit]

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

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7 May  | Ireland  | Brian Cowen | FF | AEN
2 December  | Austria  | Werner Faymann | SPÖ | PES
30 December  | Belgium  | Herman Van Rompuy | CD&V | EPP

## 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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* 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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