Brussels - posters everywhere, constantly campaigning on TV. Next Sunday will Europe choose its parliament.
Why? What we bring to the regulations and directives from Brussels and Strasbourg? Especially cucumber, okay. But this is rather silly, so this policy is also tilted back. What else? Where Europe provides our daily lives? Surprisingly, everywhere - and that makes the choice so important to us.
Do you know of Directive 2005/32/EC? Or 96/62 EC? Maybe fall in the key words or eco-directive on air quality of the penny? Not? In this shape the everyday life but your life. The former ensures that you not buy at the hardware store from September, the good old light bulb can. And the latter is responsible for ensuring that sticks to the windshield of your car a little badge.
Both laws were behind it, although passed by the Bundestag, but is actually the originator of the EU. Brussels and Strasbourg are responsible for an impressive 84 percent of our German law. In the previous legislative period, 10 279 of our laws went into the account of EU politicians.
Some mean cost and bureaucracy, simplify our lives but many. As the Regulation to improve passenger rights, which grants us with flight and train delays reimbursement. Or to limit the roaming charges that mobile phone calls on vacation can not be too expensive.
Or the policy for safe toys that will protect our children. Thanks to the EU are allowed to cosmetic companies in the advertising does not lie on the effectiveness of a cream and organic products must also be organic be in it. "There's long been a power shift from the national parliaments rather than with the EU ', Dieter Wolfram, Scientific Director said at the Center for European policy. Only in the areas of social protection, employment law, civil law and education, the German politicians are largely free in their room for maneuver.
"The lobbyists have recognized this shift," says Wolfram. "Look at the number of associations in Brussels! The low awareness of the citizens of the European Parliament is in inverse proportion to its importance. "
Why do we itch Europe so little? "Because the law in Europe is very complicated," says Wolfram. "The people involved are largely unknown, there is no identifiable structure of government and opposition, so that no clear dividing lines."
2004 just 43 percent of Germans went to the polls this year, experts fear an even worse outcome. Europe does not matter what matters is national. Fallacy! Our future will be decided on many points this Sunday.
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These are our EU politicians
