Although the summit has extended the range of issues that will be decided by qualified majority voting rather than unanimity, EU leaders were last night edging towards agreement on new voting weights and procedures. These are intended to make the challenge of putting together a majority significantly more onerous.
(The figures below are not necessarily final.)
Depending on their size, member states are allocated different voting weights at meetings of the Council of Ministers.
To obtain a qualified majority a proposition must now get 67 votes or 71 per cent of weighted votes.
That will change when there are 27 member states to 247 votes, or 73 per cent, making majorities more difficult to put together.
A blocking minority, to prevent a decision being taken, will consist of 91 votes, just more than three large states combined. There will also be two further requirements to establish a majority.
A majority of states will have to back the proposal and the combined weighted vote will have to reflect at least 61 per cent of the EU's population, up from 58 per cent.