Who Governs in the Council? Determinants of Ministerial Participation in Council Meetings

Ministers of the member countries of the EU represent their countries in the Council of the EU. Nevertheless, the statistics show that on average only about 60 % of the ministers attend Council´s meetings. In the other cases they are represented by officers or diplomats. How to explain the cases in which the ministers attend the meetings of the Council in person and how to explain those in which they are represented?

The sample of V4 countries between 2004 and 2016 shows that the most important factors related to the ministerial presence at Council´s meetings include the importance of the agenda being discussed and the position of the EU presidency. It was also proven that the total number of ministers in the government increases the likelihood of one of them attending the meetings. On the contrary, the fact that the ministers' participation was lower is related to the strong support of Eurosceptic parties and the period before the elections to the national parliament.

The article of Jan and Kamil Kovář was published online in the magazine East European Politics and Societies: and Cultures.

 

Topics and regions