Parties in the European Council during 2003

This article describes the party affiliations of the leaders of each member-state represented in the European Council during the year 2003. The list below gives the political party that each head of government, or head of state, belonged to at the national level, as well as the European political alliance to which that national party belonged. 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.

The member-states of the European Union by the European party affiliations of their leaders, as of 1 January 2003.

During the period in question there was a change of the governing party only in Finland. In April Anneli Jäätteenmäki of the Centre Party succeeded Paavo Lipponen of the Social Democrats as State Minister (prime minister of Finland). She remained in office only until June when she resigned in a corruption scandal. She was succeeded by Matti Vanhanen from her own party.

Summary
Party 1 January 2003 17 April 2003
# QMV # QMV
European People's Party 7 44 7 44
Party of European Socialists 5 32 4 29
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party 2 8 3 11
Alliance for Europe of the Nations 1 3 1 3

List of leaders (1 January 2003)
Member-state Votes Leader National party European party
Germany 10 Gerhard Schröder SPD PES
France 10 Jacques Chirac UMP EPP
United Kingdom 10 Tony Blair Lab PES
Italy 10 Silvio Berlusconi FI EPP
Spain 8 José María Aznar PP EPP
Netherlands 5 Jan Peter Balkenende CDA EPP
Greece 5 Costas Simitis PA.SO.K. PES
Belgium 5 Guy Verhofstadt VLD ELDR
Portugal 5 José Manuel Barroso PPD/PSD EPP
Sweden 4 Göran Persson SAP PES
Austria 4 Wolfgang Schüssel ÖVP EPP
Denmark 3 Anders Fogh Rasmussen V ELDR
Finland 3 Paavo Lipponen SDP PES
Ireland 3 Bertie Ahern FF AEN
Luxembourg 2 Jean-Claude Juncker CSV EPP

Changes

Affiliation
Date Member-state Leader National party European group
17 April Finland Anneli Jäätteenmäki Kesk. ELDR

Office-holder only
Date Member-state Leader National party European group
24 June Finland Matti Vanhanen Kesk. ELDR
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See also
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