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surgical_firetoday at 4:54 PM2 repliesview on HN

They are not unelected. The EU Council is made up of the head of government of each member state. They are all elected.

The commissioners are picked by the heads of state (elected) and the EU parliament (also elected).

This does not absolve them from wrongdoing, but you should understand where your complaints should be directed at.


Replies

mattrighettitoday at 5:09 PM

They’re indirectly elected through national governments and parliament. That’s different from being directly elected by citizens. Being appointed by elected politicians doesn’t make someone directly accountable to voters. Citizens don’t vote for commissioners, and it’s much harder for voters to remove or reward them based on their policies.

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joe_mambatoday at 5:02 PM

>They are not unelected.

After how many layers does the democratic part get watered down and is just members of the elite picking other elites?

  Role                         | Chosen by                                            | Direct citizen vote?
  -----------------------------+------------------------------------------------------+----------------------------
  Commission President         | European Council proposes, European Parliament elects| No (indirect via EP)
  European Council President   | European Council (27 heads of state)                 | No
  European Parliament President| MEPs elect from among themselves                     | No (indirect via EP)
  ECB President                | European Council, after consulting Parliament        | No
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