The legislative period begins with a surprise. Ursula von der Leyen becomes Commission President. Martin Sonneborn describes how this came about and introduces the strangest Commissioners. And then politics is made: The Green Deal is negotiated in Brussels (and Strasbourg), positions are taken in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the digital surveillance of citizens in the EU is re-regulated. Hundreds of decisions that will become part of everyday life for millions of EU citizens - and where you occasionally need a great deal of humor to avoid hitting the bottle in the MEP bar. Or to ask the question of meaning. Fortunately, Martin Sonneborn has good ideas for moving Europe in the right direction. His suggestion: EU downsizing instead of EU enlargement, Nobel prizes for Assange, don't leave Europe to the Leyen ...

The book is a journey into a parallel universe. It takes readers to the offices of the EU administration, to the Hellmarsh high-security prison in London and even to East Germany (with Gregor Gysi). It is informative, shocking and funny.