Ylva Johansson (the creator) didn’t get into the EU by being popular in Sweden, she was appointed by the Social Democratic government in 2019, and commissioners aren’t elected anyway. For Brussels the boxes she ticked (party loyalty, decades of ministerial experience, gender balance in von der Leyen’s Commission) mattered more than domestic approval. In fact, governments often use the EU to park politicians who’ve lost their shine at home. Now she’s mostly known for pushing “chat control” (mass scanning of private messages), which only makes the disconnect clearer: an unpopular figure at home ends up driving some of the EU’s most controversial policies.
> In fact, governments often use the EU to park politicians who’ve lost their shine at home
For whatever it's worth, as an European, I will emphasize this as one of the most frustrating facts and the largest barrier to me having any serious form of respect for the EU. I have no doubt there's honest and good people there, but in my country it's well known that fuckups just get to "retire" and get out of the spotlight by shifting to EU positions. Not only does this devalue the EU, but also the original country itself, since politicians have less fear of career-ending consequences. It's a lose-lose situation for the collective.
I can only hope that experiences in my country do not reflect Europe as a whole.