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So, you cannot vote for your MEP? As far as I know they're chosen from current parties by proportional representation. With a few exceptions. (Country dependen

So, you cannot vote for your MEP? As far as I know they're chosen from current parties by proportional representation. With a few exceptions. (Country dependent.) You (as Swedes, for instance) voted for those people. They are local national level politicians in an international setting, no different from any minister except for the stakes and reach. That other countries can exert some influence on yours? That is a fact of life and nothing will change it. Everything is an agreement, including EU, with relatively specific scope, agreed to because it is beneficial (or politically convenient) even if limiting at times. They're about as easy to influence as any minister, but more numerous and more diverse most of the time. Essentially just think you're writing to a minister of european affairs in your country. Minister of foreign affairs. It is a better model than everyone keeping laws dictated by the US, Russia, Germany or France, or WIPO, Google or MPAA lobbyists, which it was before. (National standards get copied or are intentionally very similar.) You get to vote at least on the common choice, instead of the strongest one winning.

lawn 8y ago
> That other countries can exert some influence on yours? That is a fact of life and nothing will change it. So we'll just accept anything? It's about limiting outside influence as much as possible. Not throwing your hands in the air and give up. > Everything is an agreement, including EU, with relatively specific scope, agreed to because it is beneficial (or politically convenient) even if limiting at times. It's always a trade-off. There are good parts and there are bad parts. EU has morphed into something entirely different than what it was at the start. > It is a better model than everyone keeping laws dictated by the US, Russia, Germany or France, or WIPO, Google or MPAA lobbyists, which it was before. (National standards get copied or are intentionally very similar.) You get to vote at least on the common choice, instead of the strongest one winning. You don't solve the issue that laws are influenced by other forces by eroding your voting power. Then you only worsen the problem.

lawn 8y ago

> That other countries can exert some influence on yours? That is a fact of life and nothing will change it. So we'll just accept anything? It's about limiting outside influence as much as possible. Not throwing your hands in the air and give up. > Everything is an agreement, including EU, with relatively specific scope, agreed to because it is beneficial (or politically convenient) even if limiting at times. It's always a trade-off. There are good parts and there are bad parts. EU has morphed into something entirely different than what it was at the start. > It is a better model than everyone keeping laws dictated by the US, Russia, Germany or France, or WIPO, Google or MPAA lobbyists, which it was before. (National standards get copied or are intentionally very similar.) You get to vote at least on the common choice, instead of the strongest one winning. You don't solve the issue that laws are influenced by other forces by eroding your voting power. Then you only worsen the problem.