I don't think that's true. It applies to everything they consider emergency unless I'm misreading. Also: they decide what constitutes an emergency. They could use this for any reason, for anything. They ARE using it, as a threat, for the econimic crisis.

Those votes are only necessary for things like new member additions (which are indeed mostly what the council is for). I think this requires a mere majority, which presumably is equivalent to having a majority in the commission in practice.

But even if it were true, and the only power they have is to fund or defund member states' governments ... that's not a real limitation to their power.

And lastly, if all the power is in the hands of the executive, as it is in Europe, that does not constitute a modern democratic state.