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cherryteastain • today at 5:15 PM • 1 reply • view on HN

The EU bureaucracy IS a single entity controlled by the EU Commission President, currently Ms. von der Leyen. Speaking of it as a single entity is definitely not a conspiracy theory as anyone can read how the EU works and see how the only democratic component of the EU, the Parliament, is an absolutely powerless body. Basically, the Commission can get what it wants every time.

How? Even in the case a majority of MEPs have different views to the Commission, it does not matter because only the Commission can initiate legislation. On the off chance the Commission does not get what it wants from the Parliament they can just ask the Council to send the same proposal to the Parliament as an 'emergency' procedure that has to be rejected by a minimum of 361 MEPs even if 50%+1 of the MEPs in attendance vote against. That's how Chat Control 1 was resurrected after it was voted down by a majority of MEPs. 331 MEPs voted against it vs 301 for, and it still passed due to the 361 rule. Which is why lobbying anyone except the Commission is pointless. You can do that even in China - people lobby the CCP there too, nobody claims this is democratic.

So, no conspiracy is needed, this is the EU functioning exactly as designed.


Replies

riedel • today at 5:45 PM

I am working with different EU DGs in a very different context and I can assure you first hand that it would be rather nice in many cases if that would be true in general.