"There are direct elections for the parliament" of course but it's not a real parliament in any sense because it does not have full control over the entire EU policy. It's just there mainly for rubberstamping anything thrown its way.

> And the "unelected bureaucrats" are just... bureaucrats. That's\ > That's how governments are run the world over, even in places like Switzerland.

In most other developed countries they are appointed directly by elected officials or through a national well regulated (not self regulated) system.

> Or does your country vote regularly for the Director of Rail Transportation in your Ministry of Transportation?

Nope. But we frequently vote for the party/person who is going to appoint him. Not so option in the EU. Best case you vote a for a government which will appoint a commissioner which might have some say in the matter.

> and adress real concerns. F

Being about as democratic as the late Hapsburg empire (just without the emperor but with extra Kafkaesque bureaucracy) is not a concern? Maybe either granting the parliament full sovereignty or just outright getting rid of it (if nobody want to play a "federation" anymore) could the the first choice.