Introduction

Supranationalism, the pooling and delegation of sovereignty by national governments, is the most distinctive feature of the European Union (EU) and qualified majority voting (QMV) is the most distinctive feature of supranationalism. The EU member states' governments are unusual in that, for reasons of history, geography, political culture, and economic advantage, they have agreed to pool and delegate sovereignty in a wide range of policy areas that affect the everyday lives of their citizens. The European Coal and Steel Community was significant for political rather than economic reasons. The signing of the Single European Act and the inception of the single market program in the late 1980s were landmark events in the history of the EU. Undoubtedly QMV is important in facilitating decision-making, but not necessarily because of actual voting. The national governments' agreement, embodied in the Single European Act, to make greater use of QMV in Council decision-making effectively put an end to the Luxembourg Compromise.