Seminar Simulations of the European Union’s Intergovernmental Institutions: The Council of Ministers and Qualified Majority Voting

Abstract

The case for the use of simulations in political science seminars to provide illustrative learning of complex political process has been well demonstrated across a variety of sub-disciplines within political science. Their value to the teaching of European Union politics has also been explored and is particularly valuable for the EU’s numerous examples of complex decision-making processes. This is particularly true of the EU’s Qualified Majority of Voting (QMV) system used in its Council of Ministers. This article demonstrates the use of a QMV simulation for undergraduate EU politics classes. Achievement of learning outcomes was greatly improved versus the standard Socratic seminar method and was in confirmed student feedback.

Keywords:

• Simulations
• European Union Qualified Majority Voting

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Heidi Maurer of the Danube University Krems for reading an earlier draft and for providing helpful comments. I would also like to thank Simon Lightfoot and Charlie Dannreuther at the University of Leeds and Sophia Price and Leeds Beckett University for their advice and helpful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 QMV itself is part of what is called the “Ordinary Legislative Procedure” (OLP) of the EU. Before the Treaty of Lisbon of 2009, it was called “co-decision,” and its sees the European Commission produce legislative proposals that go to the Council of Ministers (where QMV takes place) and the European Parliament. For more information: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/council-eu/voting-system/qualified-majority/.

2 With 27 member states, this means 55% is achieved with 15 member states voting for/against. This simulation was also taught before and after the U.K. left the EU.

3 The QMV regime was created in the 1985 Treaty called “the Single European Act.”

4 Directives are one of the two forms of legislation in the EU, regulations are the other.

5 Before the UK had left the EU. The EU now has 27 member states.

6 Students are asked, per a University’s inclusiveness policy, if they are comfortable reading things out in front of class.

7 Britain’s exit from the EU had not occurred at this point so was kept in the simulation.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Andrew J. B. Morton

Andrew J. B. Morton graduated from the University of Leeds with his Doctorate Degree in 2019. His research and teaching interests include European integration, comparative political economy and policy studies. He currently works at Leeds Trinity University. Materials for this simulation are available on request.