Is Brussels making the rules – or rather breaking the system?
Brussels is famous for one thing above all: making rules. From climate checks to labour standards, if it can be regulated, the EU has a directive for it. Now it’s going even further. For example, a new law – set to come into force in 2027 – will make companies legally responsible for the actions of every business in their global supply chain. That means if a subcontractor mistreats workers or harms the environment, even on the other side of the world, the main company in Europe could be punished.
This law has caused rare backlash. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz have both called for it to be scrapped. But here’s the problem: they can’t stop it. Even the EU’s two most powerful members no longer have real control over what Brussels decides.
On paper, the EU claims to support reducing red tape. A 2024 report by former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi even called for simpler rules to help businesses. But instead of scaling back, the EU is pushing more regulations – and piling up the pressure on companies.
This is part of a bigger plan: to make the EU the global standard-setter. But at what cost? While American and Chinese firms are free to act, European businesses are being tied up in legal obligations and compliance paperwork. It’s a gift to lawyers – and a burden to exporters. The new proposed legal framework (a virtual 28th state) aimed at pushing startups in the continent, particularly in critical sectors like AI, risks to add more chaos and complexity to an already unbearable situation, as well as damaging internal sovereign economies.
Is the European Union working for its member states and their citizens?
This latest directive highlights deeper issues with how the EU works – or doesn’t work – for its member states and their citizens. I outline some pitfalls of the bureaucratic monster that represents a burden for people’s and businesses’ existance.
1. A democratic deficit
EU decisions are often made behind closed doors by cynical, arrogant, unelected commissioners. The European Parliament can debate and posture, but it has limited power to block or amend major proposals. National parliaments – elected by the people – are largely sidelined once a law is passed in Brussels.
2. Loss of sovereignty
Once a directive is agreed, member states must implement it – even if their governments or citizens disagree. Refusing puts them in breach of EU treaties and open to legal action. This means democratically elected governments are forced to enforce rules they didn’t vote for and may not support. Their opposition might result in fines, legal actions, propaganda against their governments and even financial sanctions and restrictions to their citizens – think of what happened in Cyprus and Greece during the debt crisis in 2014 when ATM machines were blocked. Misalignment with Brussels defacto regime will cost severe actions on disobedient governments.
3. Citizens have no real say
Voters in Italy, Belgium, France, Spain, Germany or any other country member of the EU can elect new leaders, but it won’t stop EU laws already in motion. Brussels is not accountable in the way national governments are. If citizens disagree with EU decisions, there’s little they can do to change them. Think of the crazy project ReArm Europe strongly supported by corrupted warmongers and arm lobbies, which is leading to war rather than peace, and moves resources from real priorities to the arm industry.
4. Bureaucratic overload
According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, since 2019, over 13,000 new EU rules have been passed – about 10 per day. This non-stop flow of regulations is smothering innovation and economic growth. While the US economy has grown over 40% since 2008, the EU has managed only half that. Businesses are weighed down by compliance instead of being freed to grow.
What about Britain?
Brexit freed the UK from this system. British governments can now decide how to regulate British companies. But Labour leader Keir Starmer wants to realign with EU rules – not just in trade, but in farming, energy, and more. Critics warn this means giving up control again, without even having a seat at the EU table.
Starmer’s view seems to be that EU rules are always more “grown-up” or “sensible”. But even France and Germany are complaining about the chaos and cost of EU overregulation. So before Britain rushes back into alignment, it’s worth asking: is this a smart partnership, or just a new set of shackles?
The EU may have started as a project of cooperation. But today, many of its decisions are made by an unaccountable bureaucracy that even Europe’s biggest nations can’t control. Laws are pushed through with little input from ordinary voters, and once you’re in, there’s no easy way to say no.
