APPENDIX 1: SUPPLEMENTARY MEMORANDUM FROM
THE AMBASSADOR OF PORTUGAL
Q 13
Lord Roper: "In the statement which your Prime
Minister made through the Portuguese Assembly on 27 June, there
is, in the English text at the bottom of page 3 and the top of
page 4, a reference to precisely that point. He said, "In
addition to this balance"—that is, the voting balance—"the
conditions in which the so called 'Ioannina Compromise' have been
improved, thus safeguarding the position of clear minorities in
the Council of Minister votes." I wonder if you could tell
us what was the improvement on the Ioannina Compromise to which
he was referring."
The Portuguese Prime Minister has just stated[1]
what is referred on paragraph 13 of the mandate agreed at the
EU council in June, which reads as follows:
"13. The double majority voting system, as agreed
in the 2004 IGC, will take effect on 1 November 2014, until which
date the present qualified majority system (Article 205(2) TEC)
will continue to apply. After that, during a transitional period
until 31 March 2017, when a decision is to be adopted by qualified
majority, a member of the Council may request that the decision
be taken in accordance with the qualified majority as defined
in Article 205(2) of the present TEC.
In addition, until 31 March 2017, if members of the
Council representing at least 75% of the population or at least
75% of the number of Member States necessary to constitute a blocking
minority as provided in Article [I-25(2)] indicate their opposition
to the Council adopting an act by a qualified majority, the mechanism
provided for in the draft Decision contained in Declaration nº
5 annexed to the Final Act of the 2004 IGC. As from 1 April 2017,
the same mechanism will apply, the relevant percentages being,
respectively, at least 55% of the population or at least 55% of
the number of Member States necessary to constitute a blocking
minority as provided in Article [I-25(2)]."
1 The Presidency Conclusions of the Brussels European
Council (21-22 June 2007), p. 18. Back
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