In this chapter we apply the models developed in the preceding chapters to the European Council of Ministers. We submit the different voting rules that are or have been used in the Council, as well as some others that have been proposed, to cross-examination from the different points of view provided by the two basic models discussed in Chapters 3 and 4.

The different voting rules used in the Council are described in Section 5.1. In Section 5.2 we apply the model of a take-it-or-leave-it committee. In Section 5.2.1 we examine some relevant probabilities based on the a priori model of voting behaviour for the different rules. Then, in Section 5.2.2, we incorporate utilities into the model and assess the different rules in the Council from the egalitarian and utilitarian points of view, as a committee of states and as a committee of representatives. Finally, in Section 5.3 we apply the bargaining committee model.

The reader will not find any categorical normative recommendations along the lines of ‘this is the best rule for the Council’ or ‘this is the rule that should be used by the Council’. None of the models applied captures all the complexity of the real situation. But they all help to understand it, as this application gives some insights into how the rules may affect the working of the Council. On the other hand, applying concepts and theoretical constructions also helps gain a deeper understanding of them.