Episode 7: What can the EU do, and what not?

Play from 0:00 The EU decides how bent a cucumber can be! Is that true? Sort of. From 1989 to 2009, there really was a rule: cucumbers in the top quality classes could bend by no more than one centimetre per ten centimetres of length. But bent cucumbers were never banned. And in 2009, the rule was scrapped.

Play from 0:23 The basic principle: the EU can only regulate what the member states have allowed it to in the treaties. Everything else stays with the countries.

Play from 0:32 Think of it as three drawers. In the first, only the EU decides: for example on customs duties, trade deals with other countries and, for the euro countries, on money. In the second, the EU and the countries share the work: for example the environment, consumer protection, transport and energy. In the third, the countries decide and the EU can only support them: for example in education, culture and sport.

Play from 1:01 And even in the second drawer, the EU should only act if things work better together than in each country alone. That's called subsidiarity. National parliaments keep an eye on this. Together, they can even show the Commission a yellow card.

Play from 1:16 When the EU makes rules, it has two main tools. A regulation applies immediately and in the same way in every country, like a law in each country. For example, that making calls while travelling in another EU country doesn't cost extra. A directive, on the other hand, sets a goal, and each country writes it into its own laws. For example, the common charging cable.

Play from 1:40 Many things that shape your everyday life are still decided by your country: what your school looks like, the police, pensions and most taxes.

Play from 1:49 Remember: the EU can only do what the treaties allow. And even then, only if it works better together.

Play from 1:57 And who makes sure everyone sticks to the rules, including the EU itself? We'll find out in episode eight.