Consider the forthcoming hearings for EU commissioners. For several months before their anticipated intense public scrutiny in the European Parliament, aspiring commissioners have been engaging in one-on-one interactions with EU lawmakers. They’ve also met with entire political groups to build strong relationships and preempt any challenging questions. By the time the hearings take place, all the important matters will have already been discussed.

Reflect upon the recent EU leaders’ summit on migration. Ten influential politicians, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, met for breakfast. This meeting essentially predetermined the outcome of the European Council before it even began.

But where do the real decisions take place? Is it during the early morning meetings of the prominent center-right European People’s Party where they set their agenda? Or is it the ambassadors who convene to agree on a draft text? Could it even be the junior ambassadors?

It’s a puzzle that has driven political scientists who have tried to determine where the key decisions in Brussels are made to the brink of insanity. They can often be found wandering around the Schuman roundabout, mumbling about how a random encounter of nobles at a medieval inn in A.D. 432 predestined the EU in 2024.

There’s a recurring theme here. For anyone questioning why the EU struggles to capture the attention of voters, look no further than its tendency to finalize politically sensitive decisions behind closed doors. The results of these decisions are only made public once they have been accomplished.

This way of precooking decisions means that when a significant EU decision is finally served, the political substance has been reduced to nothingness.