The difference in control by being inside or outside the EU can be expressed by way of analogy. Inside we are passengers on a train, on a fixed route, to a fixed destination. Outside we can drive our own car, at our own pace, to our own itinery and stop off to admire the view whenever the mood takes.
I would have preferred to see change occur as a part of the EU but the rest of the EU drivers have cloth ears. It is a stark choice federalism or freedom.