Nigel Farage's claim has two interlocking components: (1) that the Commission (which he calls "civil servants") holds the power in the EU system, and (2) that in this system, "you cannot change anything," contrasting it unfavorably with parliamentary democracy where voters can "sack everybody." **What is accurate:** The European Commission does indeed hold the exclusive (or near-exclusive) right of legislative initiative under Article 17(2) of the Treaty on European Union. EU legislative acts may only be adopted on the basis of a Commission proposal, except where the Treaties provide otherwise. This gives the Commission considerable agenda-setting power. The Commission also acts as the "guardian of the Treaties," can bring infringement proceedings against member states, and implements EU legislation. In this sense, the Commission is a powerful institutional actor — more powerful than civil servants in most national systems. **What is misleading or inaccurate:** 1. **Calling the Commission "civil servants" is a mischaracterization.** The Commission is composed of Commissioners — one from each member state — who are political appointees, not career bureaucrats. The Commission President is proposed by the European Council (taking into account European election results) and must be elected by the European Parliament. Commissioners undergo parliamentary confirmation hearings. While the Commission has a large staff of civil servants, the decision-making body (the College of Commissioners) is political, not bureaucratic. 2. **"You cannot change anything" overstates the Commission's power and ignores other institutions.** The EU's legislative process is a co-decision procedure (ordinary legislative procedure) in which the directly elected European Parliament and the Council of the EU (composed of elected national ministers) must jointly adopt legislation. The Parliament can amend or reject Commission proposals entirely, request the Commission to submit legislative proposals (Article 225 TFEU), dismiss the entire Commission through a motion of censure (Article 234 TFEU, Article 17(8) TEU) — a power analogous to parliamentary votes of no confidence (the threat of which forced the resignation of the entire Santer Commission in 1999) — and approve or reject the appointment of the Commission President and the College of Commissioners. 3. **Voters do have democratic levers.** European citizens directly elect the European Parliament, which co-legislates and can dismiss the Commission. National governments (themselves elected) sit in the European Council and the Council of the EU, which set strategic direction and co-legislate. The Lisbon Treaty (in force since December 2009, two years before this interview) strengthened the Parliament's role and linked the Commission President's selection to European election results ("Spitzenkandidaten" process). **Conclusion:** The claim contains a kernel of truth — the Commission's monopoly on legislative initiative is a real and distinctive feature of EU governance that gives politically appointed (but not directly elected) officials significant agenda-setting power. However, the sweeping assertion that "you cannot change anything" is contradicted by the European Parliament's co-legislative powers, its power to dismiss the Commission, and the Council's role. The characterization of the Commission as mere "civil servants" is also inaccurate. The claim oversimplifies the EU's institutional balance in a way that materially distorts the picture. **Sources:** - European Union official site, "European Commission – what it does": https://european-union.europa.eu/institutions-law-budget/institutions-and-bodies/search-all-eu-institutions-and-bodies/european-commission_en - European Parliament, "Legislative powers": https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/parliaments-powers/legislative-powers - European Parliament, "Supervisory powers" (including power to dismiss the Commission): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/about-parliament/en/parliaments-powers/supervisory-powers - EUR-Lex, "Legislative proposals" (Article 17 TEU on Commission's right of initiative): https://eur-lex.europa.eu/EN/legal-content/glossary/legislative-proposals.html - European Parliament Think Tank, "The European Parliament's powers: Motion of censure" (EPRS Briefing, 2024): https://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document/EPRS_BRI(2024)762398 - Institut Jacques Delors, "The Power of Initiative of the European Commission: A Progressive Erosion" (2012): https://institutdelors.eu/content/uploads/2025/04/commission_power_of_initiative_ne_feb2012_01-1.pdf