I have heard of people doing Cologne to Palma and back three times in a day in previous times! That people night stopped due to curfews etc. is correct. But it is also true that it sometimes involved sitting for a few hours on the plane! Avoiding this kind of thing is exactly why sensible FTLs are needed.
That things were not always rosy in the past does not however excuse the farce that occurred in Brussels with the recent vote. I was also surprised to learn that the regulations do not come into force for a couple of years.