Personal Remarks
I believe many EU grants are not awarded purely on merit, but are influenced by other factors such as favoritism, nepotism, inefficiency, or poor governance.
There is also concern that certain private organizations hold significant influence within EU institutions, which may weaken the independence of public officials and decision-making processes.
A stronger accountability model could be considered, similar to systems where elected leaders have greater authority to appoint and dismiss senior officials within the executive branch. Applied to the European Commission, this could increase political responsibility toward voters.
The European Commission is able to propose legislative initiatives, but these proposals are often seen as politically driven. A key issue is the lack of transparency regarding the political views, priorities, and affiliations of EU public officials involved in shaping policy.