Let’s help the Eurocrats create new European Directives – energy and others.

We live in an era of “regulation.” While the world used to be based on natural laws, which dictated what to do and avoid, today, almost everything requires regulation. It is worth looking at the example of China – a model of the “new society” where bans and orders apply in virtually every sphere of life, and cameras with facial recognition systems are on every street corner. Added to this is a system of civic evaluation that can determine access to credit, employment and even the ability to leave home.

Against this backdrop, elaborate European regulation – successive directives, recommendations and conclusions – are rather elegant suggestions to the public, which may become the subject of jokes or political protests but do not constitute an absolute restriction of citizens’ rights. Nevertheless, as many as 13,000 pieces of legislation have been created in the EU in recent years, according to a report by Mario Draghi’s team, which studied the causes of stagnation and threats to the European Union. This compares with half as many in the US at the federal and state levels.

But we are in Europe, and it’s not the Wild West here, so let’s enjoy what we have and even try to take advantage of it in a rapidly changing world. Let’s join the hard-working MEPs and encourage our national politicians to get even more involved. More directives – more order. Below are suggestions for new or supplemented European Directives that could make our lives happier. Some can be laughed at, while others…. may be worth regretting that they do not yet exist.

“Energy Compensation” Directive – compensation for power outages caused by faults on the part of the distributor. In this case, an analogy can be made to the fairly well-functioning regulation of flight delays. Although it has faced criticism, it has disciplined airlines to compensate passengers for delays rather than just offering an old sandwich at the airport. Of course, there are exceptions – energy supply problems can result from natural disasters, as can flight delays caused by force majeure.

Directive against “airport rip-offs” – Everyone who waits at the airport for a connection wants a cup of coffee, a sandwich or even something more filling. The problem arises when trying to pay the bill – first disbelief, then looking for a mistake, and finally, frustration builds up. It turns out that at airports, we are like a game. We pay more than 100 zlotys for anything put on a tray, the price of water will soon reach 20 zlotys, and sandwiches (often already stale in the morning) seem to be prepared from the rarest products from the world’s far ends. A new directive could lower margins and curb this rip-off. While I do not favour price controls, I would prefer solutions based on the principles of free competition in airport stores.

“Parking” or “SUV ” Directive – Restrictions on parking large cars in city centres. Everyone knows the feeling – you drive into the centre, have an important meeting or want to do some quick shopping, and here begins the search for a parking space. There are various techniques for dealing with this problem, such as “visualization” – driving into a crowded street, we imagine we will find a perfect, free place to park. Sometimes, this even works, but perhaps regulation would be a better solution. Large SUVs take up much more space than standard vehicles. That’s why it’s a good idea to introduce parking restrictions for SUVs or double the parking fee if they exceed the allowed dimensions. Why should a small brilliant pay the same as a massive SUV? It’s logical.

“Photovoltaic-Cover ” Directive – Complement new programs from REPower Europe, NZIA, RED II and other Green Deal initiatives. Photovoltaic panels on any surface facing the sun. Building roofs are an obvious choice (and are already covered by the new regulations), but what about the roofs of bus stops, shelters, or even cars? What about umbrellas, hats and caps (perhaps starting in 2045)? You could also consider covering rivers and some lakes with panels (outside Natura 2000 areas), as well as the roofs of farm buildings. Finally, special cubicles with microphones for free-roaming animals such as cows and horses, and maybe even for free-roaming cats. Each system should be equipped with energy storage and a unified C-type connector to receive it.

“Passenger ” Directive –About mobile networks and Internet servers that enable crimes. We receive warnings not to click on suspicious links in SMS messages, but mobile networks still deliver these messages. It might be worth considering holding operators accountable for enabling criminal activities – on the basis of fencing liability. Introducing such a directive could force service providers to introduce systems for early detection of suspicious content and its elimination, which could significantly reduce fraud.

The “Can Can ” Directive – Banning the over-stuffing of passengers on aeroplanes. We’ve all noticed it: we board, especially new aircraft models, take a seat and…. it gets cramped. The problem isn’t necessarily because we’ve gained weight – rather, aeroplane seats are getting narrower and shorter so that we can fit a few more seats in the cabin. A “can-do” directive could restrict aeroplane seats’ minimum dimensions, preventing passengers from being turned into “human sardines.” Otherwise, mandatory pre-flight diets may have to be introduced.

Directive “dynamic pricing to be modified” – Unfortunately, this is not a joke. The new system of dynamic pricing abroad needs to be fixed, too. It’s hard to say why, but it certainly needs modification. An example from Greece: I took advantage of the new possibility, hoping to save money since I have photovoltaic panels on my roof and use energy mainly at night. Unfortunately, it turned out not to work. Even the monopolistic Greek supplier (DEH) called me, offering to return to standard, fixed prices. The price peaks have proven to be a killer for most consumers. A note to our domestic suppliers (and actually to consumers): it’s worth looking at the experience of others with dynamic pricing. So far, this has not worked in Europe, and in our country, the problem was solved by freezing prices, so we have “dynamic” prices, but…. frozen. Peace of mind guaranteed.

Directive “Banning political tweeting ” – My favourite proposal. Maybe Twitter would finally be freed from idiotic political comments, political videos on TikTok, or set photos for self-promotion. I know it’s tough, but I think most normal people are sick of politics on social media. Maybe a new directive could ban political posts on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays?

A “Collision Directive – Pedestrian First ” – More rights for pedestrians…. On the sidewalk. On the street, a pedestrian already has priority at a pedestrian crossing – the Highway Code regulates this. However, on the sidewalk, the pedestrian must be as alert as an animal in the South American jungle. Scooters, bicycles, scooters with two or three passengers, and cyclists after a stop at a bar pose a danger. Perhaps analogous to the situation on the road, a pedestrian on the sidewalk should have more rights and maybe even some privileges.

“Heating ” directive – Obligation to maintain a minimum of 18 degrees Celsius in winter apartments and in new buildings to install central air conditioning (will come into force in 2040). Of course, the possibility of pressuring the administration and landlords to comply with these regulations would also be provided for.

“Telephone directive – prohibition of disturbance ” – Everyone is familiar with this problem: phone calls with offers of photovoltaic panels, franking credits, Internet providers or satellite TV, who call even six months before the end of the contract, usually on weekends after 4 p.m. Blocking the numbers does not help much – there will always be another one. What if it were possible to opt out of such telemarketing completely? The ability to declare that one does not want to receive advertising calls and the mobile network would automatically reject intrusive callers.

“Retaliatory ” directive – A more reactive approach to fighting environmental pollution and marketing low-quality products. If someone trashes in the forests, that trash should be returned to his home. And if a dishonest seller offers defective food (as road salt used to be sold as food), he would have to eat his products himself – such a modern “Hammurabi recipe.” In the “Retorsion II” version, boards of directors of low-quality food companies would have to eat their own products.

“Smog – confiscation ” directive – Air quality, especially in winter, is already well known to us. Random inspections by municipal police do not work. It’s time for more robust and more radical measures. The proposed directive provides for confiscating stoves in the event of excessive emissions (e.g., using clever interlocks and security devices). Of course, this should be combined with the “heating” directive – mainly if the person renting the apartment generates the smog. It could also be combined with a “retaliation” directive – smog from the stove could return to the producer’s home.

“De-briefing – Serial ” directive – Restrictions on quasi-reality programs (various “islands of happiness” with girls in thongs and men in shorts, now also in the 45+ version) and quasi-documentaries, such as “My Scary Moment,” where people act out scenes and then comment on them. Incidentally, this format is our domestic speciality, and some people from abroad don’t understand it initially. Since we have limits on commercials, why don’t we also put limits on the number of daily series broadcasts? By the way, commercials seem less harmful now.

“Reading ” directive – Fight against secondary illiteracy. With the growing popularity of “picture-based” realities like Instagram and TikTok, I propose to make it mandatory to read at least one page of text every day: a simple electronic verification system and penalties for those who do not read. On the one hand, it’s a lobbying proposal (for bloggers); on the other, it’s a reminder of the movie “Fahrenheit 451” as a warning.

“Skorupkova ” directive – A return to the democratic principles of ancient Greece. There, “ostracism” (the name comes from the shells of vessels) functioned, where citizens wrote down the names of politicians suspected of tyranny, and those with the highest number of votes were sentenced to ten-year exile. This could be revamped by replacing the shells with online voting. Instead of tyranny, punishment would be given for overstepping authority, which could bring political calm within a few months. Empty parliamentary benches (most politicians in exile) automatically remove the need for a “Twitter” directive. I realize it may be challenging to implement this solution because no one will write new directives.

I encourage everyone to make their proposals. Let’s lobby MEPs, send them emails, letters, and “shells, ” and let our Union also have a Polish regulatory contribution on the way to a wonderful new world.