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The EU Commission is appointed, not elected. Only the Parliament (MEPs) are elected. What’s worse, the parliament cannot originate law. Only the unelected Comm

by cbeach 1y ago

The EU Commission is appointed, not elected. Only the Parliament (MEPs) are elected. What’s worse, the parliament cannot originate law. Only the unelected Commission can do so. And they can do it behind closed doors. This is a setup that’s ripe for corruption.

vanviegen 1y ago
It's true that they are appointed. However, they're appointed by the EU Council (the heads of state, most of them elected, some appointed by a national parliament), and approved by the (elected) European Parliament. At the cost of some transparency, this does make it possible to select a bit more for management skills instead of just campaigning skills.
- throwaway_dang 1y ago
  [flagged]
  - saubeidl 1y ago
    Trump was appointed as well by that standard. But nobody says that, that's my point. It's a double standard designed to spread FUD.
  - vanviegen 1y ago
    If Elon was explicitly affirmed by a majority of congres, then that would have been similar, yes.
saubeidl 1y ago
The Commission is appointed by elected officials. That's the same way the US presidency works. It's also how the UK PM role works, or any minister in pretty much any democratic government. All of those are still referred to as "elected" in common tongue.
- cbeach 1y ago
  Actually it’s very different to the US presidency and UK PM. US presidential candidates are appointed, but they must then be elected by the public. UK PMs must be elected MPs, or at least must face an immediate by-election (by constitutional convention) if not already an MP If back-hand deals, internal political favouritism, nepotism or opportunism lead to the appointment of an EU Commissioner there’s nothing the public can do about it.
  - hollerith 1y ago
    >The US presidential candidates are appointed Is this really true? Aren't the outcome of primary elections much much more important in determining who will be the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees than elected officials and party officials are? Specifically, an unreliable source that gives fast answers to questions says that a candidate who wins enough primaries to get over half the delegates is almost certain to be the presidential nominee for his or her party.
  - saubeidl 1y ago
    US presidents are appointed by the electoral college, not elected by the public.
    - cbeach 1y ago
      I think you're mistaken about appointment/election: * Citizens vote in a nationwide election every four years. * Those votes determine electors in each state — this is part of the Electoral College system. * The Electoral College then formally elects the president based on those state results. * The candidate who receives at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes becomes president. So while there’s a layer of formality through the Electoral College, the president is ultimately chosen by voters, not appointed by any government body.
      - saubeidl 1y ago
        The EC is a government body. The voters do not elect the President, they elect the EC. The same way that voters elect their national governments, which then appoint the Commission.

by cbeach 1y ago

vanviegen 1y ago

It's true that they are appointed. However, they're appointed by the EU Council (the heads of state, most of them elected, some appointed by a national parliament), and approved by the (elected) European Parliament. At the cost of some transparency, this does make it possible to select a bit more for management skills instead of just campaigning skills.

throwaway_dang 1y ago
[flagged]
- saubeidl 1y ago
  Trump was appointed as well by that standard. But nobody says that, that's my point. It's a double standard designed to spread FUD.
- vanviegen 1y ago
  If Elon was explicitly affirmed by a majority of congres, then that would have been similar, yes.

saubeidl 1y ago

The Commission is appointed by elected officials. That's the same way the US presidency works. It's also how the UK PM role works, or any minister in pretty much any democratic government. All of those are still referred to as "elected" in common tongue.

cbeach 1y ago
Actually it’s very different to the US presidency and UK PM. US presidential candidates are appointed, but they must then be elected by the public. UK PMs must be elected MPs, or at least must face an immediate by-election (by constitutional convention) if not already an MP If back-hand deals, internal political favouritism, nepotism or opportunism lead to the appointment of an EU Commissioner there’s nothing the public can do about it.
- hollerith 1y ago
  >The US presidential candidates are appointed Is this really true? Aren't the outcome of primary elections much much more important in determining who will be the Republican and Democratic presidential nominees than elected officials and party officials are? Specifically, an unreliable source that gives fast answers to questions says that a candidate who wins enough primaries to get over half the delegates is almost certain to be the presidential nominee for his or her party.
- saubeidl 1y ago
  US presidents are appointed by the electoral college, not elected by the public.
  - cbeach 1y ago
    I think you're mistaken about appointment/election: * Citizens vote in a nationwide election every four years. * Those votes determine electors in each state — this is part of the Electoral College system. * The Electoral College then formally elects the president based on those state results. * The candidate who receives at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes becomes president. So while there’s a layer of formality through the Electoral College, the president is ultimately chosen by voters, not appointed by any government body.
    - saubeidl 1y ago
      The EC is a government body. The voters do not elect the President, they elect the EC. The same way that voters elect their national governments, which then appoint the Commission.