THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union,
Having regard to Article 11(6) of the Council's Rules of Procedure(1),
Whereas:
(1) From 1 November 2014, when an act is to be adopted by the Council acting by qualified majority, it must be verified that the Member States constituting the qualified majority represent at least 65 % of the population of the Union.
(2) Until 31 March 2017, when an act is to be adopted by the Council acting by qualified majority, a member of the Council may request that it be adopted in accordance with the qualified majority as defined in Article 3(3) of Protocol No 36 on transitional provisions, annexed to the Treaty on European Union, to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and to the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community. In that case, a member of the Council may request that a check be made to ensure that the Member States constituting the qualified majority represent at least 62 % of the total population of the Union.
(3) Those percentages are calculated according to the population figures set out in Annex III to the Council's Rules of Procedure (‘the Rules of Procedure’).
(4) Article 11(6) of the Rules of Procedure provides that, with effect from 1 January each year, the Council is to amend the figures set out in that Annex, in accordance with the data available to the Statistical Office of the European Union on 30 September of the preceding year.
(5) The Rules of Procedure should therefore be amended accordingly for the year 2016,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Annex III to the Rules of Procedure is replaced by the following:
For the purposes of implementing Article 16(4) TEU, Article 238(2) and (3) TFEU and Article 3(2) of Protocol No 36, the population of the Union and the population of each Member State, as well as the percentage of each Member State's population in relation to the population of the Union, for the period from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 shall be as follows:
| Member State | Population | Percentage of the population of the Union |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 81 089 331 | 15,93 |
| France | 66 352 469 | 13,04 |
| United Kingdom | 64 767 115 | 12,73 |
| Italy | 61 438 480 | 12,07 |
| Spain | 46 439 864 | 9,12 |
| Poland | 38 005 614 | 7,47 |
| Romania | 19 861 408 | 3,90 |
| Netherlands | 17 155 169 | 3,37 |
| Belgium | 11 258 434 | 2,21 |
| Greece | 10 846 979 | 2,13 |
| Czech Republic | 10 419 743 | 2,05 |
| Portugal | 10 374 822 | 2,04 |
| Hungary | 9 855 571 | 1,94 |
| Sweden | 9 790 000 | 1,92 |
| Austria | 8 581 500 | 1,69 |
| Bulgaria | 7 202 198 | 1,42 |
| Denmark | 5 653 357 | 1,11 |
| Finland | 5 471 753 | 1,08 |
| Slovakia | 5 403 134 | 1,06 |
| Ireland | 4 625 885 | 0,91 |
| Croatia | 4 225 316 | 0,83 |
| Lithuania | 2 921 262 | 0,57 |
| Slovenia | 2 062 874 | 0,41 |
| Latvia | 1 986 096 | 0,39 |
| Estonia | 1 313 271 | 0,26 |
| Cyprus | 847 008 | 0,17 |
| Luxembourg | 562 958 | 0,11 |
| Malta | 429 344 | 0,08 |
| Total | 508 940 955 | |
| Threshold (62 %) | 315 543 392 | |
| Threshold (65 %) | 330 811 621’.” |
This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
It shall apply from 1 January 2016.
Done at Brussels, 8 December 2015.
For the Council
The President
P. Gramegna
Council Decision 2009/937/EU of 1 December 2009 adopting the Council's Rules of Procedure (OJ L 325, 11.12.2009, p. 35).