abstract:The Luxembourg Compromise was an agreement reached in January 1966 which resolved differences, created by the empty chair crisis, within the (then) European Economic Community.
The so-called "Luxembourg Compromise" allows a member state to block a majority decision being taken if an issue is deemed to seriously affect "a very important national interest".
It also creates an opportunity for a compromise: With Germany and Luxembourg ostensibly locking horns, another European nation could now act as a mediator to facilitate an agreement.