Kind of true, but the EU is not America, so don’t apply the same standards. In the US it’s extremely difficult to find a single politician that is not a completely corrupt criminal. The EU, on the other hand, is filled with a lot of politicians that also prioritize their positions and comfortable lives, but at least generally have somewhat positive intentions.

As for the European Citizens’ Initiatives - they are very serious and usually result in actual legislation. Of course, there’s no guarantee that this specific petition will lead to consumer protections. The only guarantee is that the European Comission will consider and talk about this. Afterwards, they’ll negotiate with the lobbies and sometime later we - citizens of the EU - will get to write public feedback about the Comission’s proposals in a post on their website, that may or may not be taken into consideration.

Overall it’s still a fairly corrupt, far from ideally functioning system, but it’s nowhere near the level of rot that the US is throwing out on full display. Despite the MEPs primarily looking out for their own best interests, we regularly receive more and more laws that benefit regular folk and not corporations. Meanwhile the last time the US has seen any real pro-people change was what, 40 years ago? The EU may be far from perfect, but please do not put it on the same shelf as America. There’s no comparison to be made.