title: Parties in the European Council during 2008
text: # Parties in the European Council during 2008
  
  This article describes the party affiliations of leaders of each member-state represented in the European Council during the year 2008. 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 2008 | 1 January 2008 | 28 February 2008 | 28 February 2008 | 20 March 2008 | 20 March 2008 | 8 May 2008 | 8 May 2008 | 21 November 2008 | 21 November 2008 |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Party | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV | # | QMV |
  | European People's Party | 10 | 145 | 10 | 145 | 11 | 157 | 12 | 186 | 11 | 182 |
  | Party of European Socialists | 7 | 107 | 7 | 107 | 7 | 107 | 7 | 107 | 8 | 111 |
  | European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party | 5 | 34 | 5 | 34 | 4 | 22 | 4 | 22 | 4 | 22 |
  | European Democratic Party | 1 | 29 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
  | Movement for European Reform | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 12 |
  | Independent | 2 | 11 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
  | Alliance for Europe of the Nations | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 7 |
  | Party of the European Left | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
  
  ## List of leaders (1 January 2008)
  
  | Member-state | Votes | Leader | National party | European party |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | Germany | 29 | Angela Merkel | CDU | EPP |
  | United Kingdom | 29 | Gordon Brown | Lab | PES |
  | France | 29 | Nicolas Sarkozy | UMP | EPP |
  | Italy | 29 | Romano Prodi | Independent | EDP |
  | Spain | 27 | José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | PSOE | PES |
  | Poland | 27 | Donald Tusk | PO | EPP |
  | Romania | 14 | Traian Băsescu | Independent | EPP |
  | Netherlands | 13 | Jan Peter Balkenende | CDA | EPP |
  | Greece | 12 | Kostas Karamanlis | ND | EPP |
  | Czech Republic | 12 | Mirek Topolánek | ODS | MER |
  | Belgium | 12 | Guy Verhofstadt | Open Vld | ELDR |
  | Hungary | 12 | Ferenc Gyurcsány | MSZP | PES |
  | Portugal | 12 | José Sócrates | PS | PES |
  | Sweden | 10 | Fredrik Reinfeldt | M | EPP |
  | Austria | 10 | Alfred Gusenbauer | SPÖ | PES |
  | Bulgaria | 10 | Sergei Stanishev | BSP | PES |
  | Slovakia | 7 | Robert Fico | SMER-SD | PES |
  | Denmark | 7 | Anders Fogh Rasmussen | V | ELDR |
  | Finland | 7 | Matti Vanhanen | Kesk. | ELDR |
  | Ireland | 7 | Bertie Ahern | FF | AEN |
  | Lithuania | 7 | Valdas Adamkus | Independent | Independent |
  | Latvia | 4 | Ivars Godmanis | LPP/LC | ELDR |
  | Slovenia | 4 | Janez Janša | SDS | EPP |
  | Estonia | 4 | Andrus Ansip | RE | ELDR |
  | Cyprus | 4 | Tassos Papadopoulos | DIKO | Independent |
  | Luxembourg | 4 | Jean-Claude Juncker | CSV | EPP |
  | Malta | 3 | Lawrence Gonzi | PN | EPP |
  
  ^ Prodi's Democratic Party had yet to determine which European party it would belong to. Prodi's political background was on the Democracy is Freedom – The Daisy side of the PD's ancestry, and he personally was honorary president of Daisy's European parent, the EDP. ^ Supported by PD-L ^ DIKO's MEP is a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European Parliament, but the party is not formally attached to any pan-European organization.
  
  ## Changes
  
  ### Affiliation
  
  | Date | Member-state | Leader | National party | European party |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 28 February | Cyprus | Demetris Christofias | AKEL | PEL |
  | 20 March | Belgium | Yves Leterme | CD&V | EPP |
  | 8 May | Italy | Silvio Berlusconi | FI | EPP |
  | 21 November | Slovenia | Borut Pahor | SD | PES |
  
  ^ AKEL holds only observer status with the Party of the European Left.
  
  ### Office-holder only
  
  | Date | Member-state | New Leader | National party | European party |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 7 May | Ireland | Brian Cowen | FF | AEN |
  | 2 December | Austria | Werner Faymann | SPÖ | PES |
  | 30 December | Belgium | Herman Van Rompuy | CD&V | EPP |
  