https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2022...
Denying responsibility at all levels at its finest.
There are rare examples of resistance, like the attempt of Czech government to resist the EU firearms directive by putting the right to self-defense with a gun into the constitution. But mostly they just fold over.
You call it "fold over", but if you think of a positive thing, it's cooperation. Because we have open borders - which, if you look at Brexit, is a huge advantage for trade and the like - it doesn't make sense to allow firearms in one country but ban them in another. It's a give and take situation. The UK decided they didn't want any part in it and... it decimated their economy, their imports and exports, their properties owned abroad, and any companies operating under an .eu domain name; it's caused an economic shift in Ireland which may very well be on the way to unification now, and it may trigger Scotland to leave the Commonwealth and join the EU.
Guns were never allowed to circulate freely; even in Schengen countries, you need both export and import permit from both countries to bring it into another country. Fun when you attend competitive events ;). You could argue that you could do it lawlessly, without permit, but then, you could own gun lawlessly, without permit too; the criminals won't bother, only the lawful citizens, who is targeted by the regulation, will.
It would be "cooperation", if there was a consent of the governed. Now it is just diktat. This: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lHVcvJdWIs is not so funny when you realize, how true it is.
Apart from closing bars and restaurants etc what sort of full control did the EU impose?
Please read up on competences of institutions before directing blame, everyone.
The EU has exclusive power in customs, openness of the internal market, monetary policy, internal commercial policy and some selected international treaties.
Member states are furthermore prevented from interfering from EU regulation - if it exists - in some areas of agriculture, environment and consumer protection, transport and energy and meta directives in legal fairness and security.
There is no competency for regulating health, that is solely member state responsibility.
Regulation of digital markets needs to attach to these powers, and so is derived mostly from a need to protect competition and internal markets.
Only thing EU did afaik, was EU covid certificates, which I'm eternally grateful for.
Just imagine going from Geany to France would require to get your German vaccination certificate recognised by the French first, as one example.
"Travel within the EU" would have been "possible" and "pain free" if the various governments had just not imposed any travel restrictions in the first place.
Just imagine going from A to B without having to show a useless certificate.
I’m not aware of any COVID measures that was bought in solely via powers the EU has. I assume that would take far too long, as every new directive from the EU needs to implemented by each member state separately.