The claim that "People cannot change anything in the European system because the civil servants—the Commission—have the power" is not supported by the institutional structure of the EU. While the Commission does hold the exclusive right of legislative initiative (a genuine feature some scholars call a "democratic anomaly"), the claim's absolute formulation is contradicted by multiple facts: 1. The Commission is not composed of "civil servants" in the traditional sense — Commissioners are political appointees nominated by elected national governments, and the Commission President is elected by the European Parliament. 2. The Commission does not hold sole power. Under the ordinary legislative procedure (extended by the Lisbon Treaty, in force since 2009), the directly elected European Parliament and the Council (elected national government ministers) are co-legislators who must both agree on any legislation. The Parliament can amend or reject Commission proposals outright. 3. Citizens can change outcomes through multiple mechanisms: electing MEPs every five years (who can reject legislation, approve or block the Commission's appointment, and even force the Commission to resign via motion of censure — as happened with the Santer Commission in 1999); through national governments sitting in the Council; and through the European Citizens' Initiative (operational from 2011, allowing one million citizens to request legislation). 4. The "democratic deficit" is a real and debated issue in academic literature, but scholars frame it as a deficit to be addressed, not as a system where citizens "cannot change anything." The claim contains a kernel of truth — the Commission's monopoly on legislative initiative is a genuine democratic weakness — but the causal link as stated (Commission has power → citizens cannot change anything) is contradicted by the EU's institutional design. Sources: - European Union official site, "Elections and appointments – institutions": https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/leadership/elections-and-appointments_en - European Parliament, "Legislative powers": https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/parliaments-powers/legislative-powers - European Parliament, "The European Commission" (Factsheets): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/25/the-european-commission - European Parliament, "The European Union's institutional framework" (Factsheets): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/19/the-european-union-s-institutional-framework - European Commission, "Law-making process": https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-making-process_en - Clifford Chance, "A Guide to the European Union" (November 2011): https://www.cliffordchance.com/content/dam/cliffordchance/briefings/2011/10/a-guide-to-the-european-union-november-2011.pdf - Sage Journals, "The EU and Its Democratic Deficit: Problems and (Possible) Solutions": https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1007/S12290-012-0213-7 - College of Europe, "The European Citizens' Initiative – A First Assessment": https://www.coleurope.eu/sites/default/files/research-paper/wp24_eg_0.pdf