<sod>  
 <font size=-2>
 <table align="right" style="float:right; margin:1em;">
<caption>Relative weight of votes from different countries according to the [[Treaty of Nice]]:</caption>
 <tr valign=top><th align=left>Country<th>Population<br>(millons)<th>Votes<th>Citizens<br>per vote<th>Relative<br>influence
 <tr><td colspan=5><hr>  
 <tr align=right><td align=left>[[Malta]]<td>0,4<td>3<td>133333<td>21.20
 
 The Council has a President and a Secretary-General. The President of the Council is the Foreign Minister of the state currently holding the [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union]]; while the Secretary-General is a civil servant, the head of the Council Secretariat. The Secretary-General also serves as the High Representative for the [[Common Foreign and Security Policy]] (CFSP).
 
The countries of the EU hold different numbers of votes in the Council. The number of votes depends on the size of their population, but growth of votes is weaker than growth of population. This concept is aimed at balancing the voice of big countries with the voice of small countries (see table).
 
 [[de:Rat der Europäischen Union]]
 [[it:Consiglio dell'Unione Europea]]
 <eod> <sod> 
 <font size=-2>
 <table align="right" style="float:right; margin:1em;">
<caption>Relative weight of votes from different countries according to the [[Treaty of Nice]], the relevant change to the [[Treaty on European Union|Maastricht treaty]] will take effect on November 1st 2004:</caption>
 <tr valign=top><th align=left>Country<th>Population<br>(millons)<th>Votes<th>Citizens<br>per vote<th>Relative<br>influence
 <tr><td colspan=5><hr>  
 <tr align=right><td align=left>[[Malta]]<td>0,4<td>3<td>133333<td>21.20
 
 The Council has a President and a Secretary-General. The President of the Council is the Foreign Minister of the state currently holding the [[Presidency of the Council of the European Union]]; while the Secretary-General is a civil servant, the head of the Council Secretariat. The Secretary-General also serves as the High Representative for the [[Common Foreign and Security Policy]] (CFSP).
 
The countries of the EU hold different numbers of votes in the Council. The number of votes depends on the size of their population, but the multiplier
is weaker for big countries. This concept is aimed at balancing the voice of big countries with the voice of small countries (see table).

== Voting ==

The Council meetings vote either by unanimity or by
[[Qualified Majority Voting|qualified majority]].

''see also:'' [[Enlargement of the European Union]]
 
 [[de:Rat der Europäischen Union]]
 [[it:Consiglio dell'Unione Europea]]
 <eod>