A new sitcom gives faces to “faceless Eurocrats”
Laughing about the EU is a serious matter
Aside from war, illness and retirement planning, nothing can possibly be less funny than a “trilogue”. This arcane facet of lawmaking in the eu involves shutting elected meps, officials representing the bloc’s 27 member states and boffins from the European Commission in a room until a deal is thrashed out, often late at night. The forging of cross-institutional consensus over Article 225(b) is more likely to induce sleep than laughter. So to devise an entire ten-episode sitcom about the way the eu’s laws are crafted—centred on a trilogue on fisheries regulation, no less—is to venture near some of comedy’s outer limits. “Parlement”, a multilingual satirical show whose second season is out this month, takes a crack at turning Brussels into a punchline. For fans of the eu, it is a serious moment.
Politics often makes for good television. The corridors of power are naturally rich in scheming, conflict and comically colossal egos. A fast-talking, starry-eyed version of American politics kept viewers riveted through seven seasons of “The West Wing”. “Borgen” made Danish politics seem more conspiratorial than it probably is. “House of Cards”, a British show later remade in America, dripped with sexy intrigue. But what happens in Brussels has until now stayed in Brussels. Who would watch second-tier politicians fighting over whether a directive needs to be turned into a regulation? Incessant calls for more power to be turned over to European institutions lack a certain dramatic impact. Forget the clashes that bring national politics to life: the eu from the outset has been about taking emotions out of governing. “Less war, more committee meetings” sums it up.
This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline "Giving faces to “faceless Eurocrats”"
Europe May 21st 2022
- The blockade of Ukraine’s ports is worsening world hunger
- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is running out of steam, again
- Meet Elisabeth Borne, France’s new prime minister
- An upset in North Rhine-Westphalia unsettles Germany’s ruling coalition
- Rows over press freedom overshadow Greece’s recent achievements
- A new sitcom gives faces to “faceless Eurocrats”
More from Europe
“Our Europe can die”: Macron’s dire message to the continent
Institutions are not for ever, after all
Carbon emissions are dropping—fast—in Europe
Thanks to a price mechanism that actually works
Italy’s government is trying to influence the state-owned broadcaster
Giorgia Meloni’s supporters accuse RAI of left-wing bias