# Parties in the European Council during 2011

This article describes the party affiliations of leaders of each member-state represented in the European Council during the year 2011. The list below gives the political party that each head of government, or head of state, belongs to at the national level, as well as the European political alliance to which that national party belongs. The states are listed from most to least populous. More populous states have greater influence in the council, in accordance with the system of Qualified Majority Voting.

## Summary

| Party | 1 January 2011 | 1 January 2011 | 9 March 2011 | 9 March 2011 | 21 June 2011 | 21 June 2011 | 22 June 2011 | 22 June 2011 | 3 October 2011 | 3 October 2011 | 11 November 2011 | 11 November 2011 | 16 November 2011 | 16 November 2011 | 6 December 2011 | 6 December 2011 | 21 December 2011 | 21 December 2011 |
| Party | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV |
| European People's Party | 13 | 190 | 14 | 204 | 15 | 216 | 16 | 223 | 16 | 223 | 16 | 223 | 15 | 194 | 14 | 182 | 15 | 209 |
| Party of European Socialists | 5 | 65 | 5 | 65 | 4 | 53 | 4 | 53 | 5 | 60 | 4 | 48 | 4 | 48 | 5 | 60 | 4 | 33 |
| Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 | 2 | 41 |
| European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party | 5 | 38 | 4 | 31 | 4 | 31 | 3 | 24 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 17 |
| Independent | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 3 | 48 | 3 | 48 | 3 | 48 |
| Party of the European Left | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |

## List of leaders (1 January 2011)

| Member-state | Votes | Leader | National party | European party |
| Germany | 29 | Angela Merkel | CDU | EPP |
| France | 29 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | EPP |
| United Kingdom | 29 | David Cameron | Conservative | AECR |
| Italy | 29 | Silvio Berlusconi | PdL | EPP |
| Spain | 27 | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | PSOE | PES |
| Poland | 27 | Donald Tusk | PO | EPP |
| Romania | 14 | Traian Băsescu | Independent | EPP |
| Netherlands | 13 | Mark Rutte | VVD | ELDR |
| Greece | 12 | George Papandreou | PA.SO.K. | PES |
| Belgium | 12 | Yves Leterme | CD&V | EPP |
| Portugal | 12 | José Sócrates | PS | PES |
| Czech Republic | 12 | Petr Nečas | ODS | AECR |
| Hungary | 12 | Viktor Orbán | Fidesz | EPP |
| Sweden | 10 | Fredrik Reinfeldt | M | EPP |
| Austria | 10 | Werner Faymann | SPÖ | PES |
| Bulgaria | 10 | Boyko Borisov | GERB | EPP |
| Denmark | 7 | Lars Løkke Rasmussen | V | ELDR |
| Slovakia | 7 | Iveta Radičová | SDKÚ–DS | EPP |
| Finland | 7 | Mari Kiviniemi | Kesk. | ELDR |
| Ireland | 7 | Brian Cowen | FF | ELDR |
| Lithuania | 7 | Dalia Grybauskaitė | Independent | Independent |
| Latvia | 4 | Valdis Dombrovskis | JL | EPP |
| Slovenia | 4 | Borut Pahor | SD | PES |
| Estonia | 4 | Andrus Ansip | RE | ELDR |
| Cyprus | 4 | Demetris Christofias | AKEL | PEL |
| Luxembourg | 4 | Jean-Claude Juncker | CSV | EPP |
| Malta | 3 | Lawrence Gonzi | PN | EPP |
^ Supported by PD-L ^ AKEL holds only observer status with the Party of the European Left.

## Changes
### Affiliation

| Date | Member-state | Leader | National party | European party |
| 9 March | Ireland | Enda Kenny | FG | EPP |
| 21 June | Portugal | Pedro Passos Coelho | PPD/PSD | EPP |
| 22 June | Finland | Jyrki Katainen | Kok. | EPP |
| 3 October | Denmark | Helle Thorning-Schmidt | A | PES |
| 11 November | Greece | Lucas Papademos | Independent | Independent |
| 16 November | Italy | Mario Monti | Independent | Independent |
| 6 December | Belgium | Elio Di Rupo | PS | PES |
| 21 December | Spain | Mariano Rajoy | PP | EPP |