Article 7 of the Treaty is clear that EU member states can have their voting rights suspended if they cease to be democratic:
1. On a reasoned proposal by one third of the Member States, by the European Parliament or by the European Commission, the Council, acting by a majority of four fifths of its members after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament, may determine that there is a clear risk of a serious breach by a Member State of the values referred to in Article 2. Before making such a determination, the Council shall hear the Member State in question and may address recommendations to it, acting in accordance with the same procedure.
The Council shall regularly verify that the grounds on which such a determination was made continue to apply.
2. The European Council, acting by unanimity on a proposal by one third of the Member States or by the Commission and after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament, may determine the existence of a serious and persistent breach by a Member State of the values referred to in Article 2, after inviting the Member State in question to submit its observations.
3. Where a determination under paragraph 2 has been made, the Council, acting by a qualified majority, may decide to suspend certain of the rights deriving from the application of the Treaties to the Member State in question, including the voting rights of the representative of the government of that Member State in the Council. In doing so, the Council shall take into account the possible consequences of such a suspension on the rights and obligations of natural and legal persons.
The obligations of the Member State in question under this Treaty shall in any case continue to be binding on that State.
4. The Council, acting by a qualified majority, may decide subsequently to vary or revoke measures taken under paragraph 3 in response to changes in the situation which led to their being imposed.
5. The voting arrangements applying to the European Parliament, the European Council and the Council for the purposes of this Article are laid down in Article 354 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
You don't get expelled, though - you have to keep applying EU law even though you didn't get to vote on it (rather like Norway does today).
In practice you are probably right that, especially if it is a case of a "soft coup", nothing much would happen. There are a couple of precedents from the way the Council of Europe dealt with Turkey and Greece; but basically the practice of international organisations is to keep up the dialogue in the hope that reason will prevail, so that in the end the non-democratic state's representatives tended to jump before they were pushed. The only counter example, the EU's attempts to impose sanctions on Austria after Haider got into government, ended with egg on face all round.
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Date: 2010-01-13 09:37 am (UTC)In practice you are probably right that, especially if it is a case of a "soft coup", nothing much would happen. There are a couple of precedents from the way the Council of Europe dealt with Turkey and Greece; but basically the practice of international organisations is to keep up the dialogue in the hope that reason will prevail, so that in the end the non-democratic state's representatives tended to jump before they were pushed. The only counter example, the EU's attempts to impose sanctions on Austria after Haider got into government, ended with egg on face all round.