Parties in the European Council during 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.

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

Summary

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

Member-state Votes Leader National party European party
Germany 29 Angela Merkel CDU EPP
United Kingdom 29 Gordon Brown Lab PES
France 29 Nicolas Sarkozy UMP EPP
Italy 29 Romano Prodi Independent EDP
Spain 27 José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero PSOE PES
Poland 27 Donald Tusk PO EPP
Romania 14 Traian Băsescu Independent 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
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

Affiliation

Date Member-state Leader National party European party
28 February Cyprus Demetris Christofias AKEL PEL
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

Date Member-state New Leader National party European party
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

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