Sondar12

I''d like to ask you about the influence the parliament has compared to the council and the commission. Most people who view the EU as having a democratic deficit view the EP as a toothless organization. Do you believe the parliament will gain influence (for example, having more of a say in the priorities or general direction the EU should take) or already has sufficient capacity? Do you personally believe its role should be expanded? How do other institutions or bodies regard further democratization?

Another question I have is how connected you believe people in the "Eurobubble" are to the people outside of it. Are there ways/methods to ensure people are not isolated from what happens in the rest of Europe?

Lastly, how powerful do you believe lobbyists are? I know that's a tough thing to answer to since I'm not giving a metric but do they play a pivotal role in decision making? Does civil society have comparable influence to corporations? Has there been a change in the balance in recent years?

In regards to the connection aspect, I'd say the biggest obstacle would be lack of identity. There is no larger European identity, and even where it exists language often forms a barrier. Connecting should happen through and on the local level. It requires the EU to be active in local debates/news/discusions, and not the other way around.

It's a bit unfair (as a Belgian) that people expect Brussels to be on the level of London or Paris because it has the EU capital there. We are still just a small country with about as many people in it as London and Paris combined.