The EU were only modelling themselves on the USA in an attempt to keep the peace and prevent another wasteless war. In this respect they succeeded. EU politicians are still elected every 5 years. The commission does do things behind closed doors at times but member states are also quite poor at holding their own MEPs to account.

This said the benefits of free trade, the ability to work anywhere in the zone sans a visa, the lack of internal wars, their environmental laws and working regulations more than make up for it.