Most of us rely on our national newspapers, television and radio news to find out about what is going on in the EU. Unfortunately, amongst the clear and informative reports lie a large number of stories based on twisted facts or even lies. The stories can make entertaining reading, but many people believe them and often come away with a picture of the EU as a bunch of mad 'eurocrats'. These pages take some of those stories and set the record straight – sadly, we cannot keep track of them all.

Acres: rolling acres are outlawed by Brussels
Advertising slogans: EU to ban famous advertising slogans
Africa: EU tells Africa US GM food is unsafe
AIDS: EU neglects research against HIV/AIDS
Alcohol: EU plans to close thousands of British off-licences
Alcohol: Light ale gets a name change
Ambulances: Ambulances must turn yellow for Europe
Anthem: EU to get a new anthem
Bananas: Goodbye bendy bananas, farewell curved cucumbers, so long chunky carrots
Bar staff: Chat up bar girl and pub will be fined
Bombay: Bombay Mix to be renamed
Big prizes: EU wants to stop us winning big prizes
Builders: forced to wear a T-shirt
Cake competition: Half-baked reports on cake contests
Car light: Motorists must switch on lights during day
Corgis: Corgis to be banned by EU
CV: EU demands standardised CV
DIY: EU bans DIY
Dog bones: Butchers cannot give a dog a bone
Eggs: EU says eggs must carry details of the hen that laid them
Electronic waste: Sex toys must be handed in
Emergency calls: False alarm over 999 calls
Energy sources: National control over energy sources threatened
EU accounts: We have a right to know where the EU's millions end up
EU bans Swiss sausage: National Sausage Crisis Pits Swiss against EU
EU officials: immune from law
EU Olympic aid: EU funds Athens Olympics rescue
EU Spending: 'Top 100' examples of waste and fraud
Euro/Health: The euro causes skin diseases  & makes you impotent
EU Tube: Brussels videos shunned
EU Tube: EU promotional clip is soft porn
Flag: New flag for Europe
Hard hats: EU forces tightrope walkers to wear hard hats
Health card: New EU health card: a means to spy on us?
Holidays: Europe hikes up the price of your holiday
Home-made cakes: Home-made cakes must be labelled with all ingredients
Illegal logging: EU vs. illegal timber
Islands: EU changes the definition of an island
Labels: "Made in Britain" labels to be axed
Light bulbs: bulbs to lose wattage markings
Life sentence: Life sentences to be banned
Marmalade: EU regulates grandmother's recipe
Model railways: Model railways under threat from EU
Noise: EU bans noise in pubs and at football matches
Number plates: French vehicle number plates must be changed for EU
Passports: Off with her head
Pensions: EU officials can retire at 50 with massive pensions
Pigs: EU says pigs must be given toys
Pilots: EU to harmonise flying times
Pollution: Air treaty could prevent fight against pollution
Prices: Imported shoes price hiked
Renaming monuments: EU to rename Waterloo Station "Europe Station"
Sexual behaviour: EU asks women about their sex lives
Smoke flavourings: Smoky bacon gets up EU's nose
Speed limits: EU wants to implement speed limits on German roads
Swings: Europe says playground swings are too high
Tax: EU proposes tax harmonisation
Text messages: EU to store your flirtatious text messages
Teabags: EU Directive to make employers consult workers over choice of tea
Teabags: Foot-and-mouth risk?
Television: Energy-guzzling plasma TVs to be banned
Tractors: Farmers not allowed to drive tractors
Vat on food: Brussels wishes to make UK impose VAT on food
Vitamins: 300 vitamin treatments face ban in Euro purge
Viagra: Male EU officials get 6 free viagra tablets per month
Vultures: Endangered species: EU makes vultures homeless
Warning signs on mountains: EU requires climbers to use scaffolding
Women's clothes: EU harmonisation of women's clothes sizes
Yogurt: Yogurt to be banned
Youth in Action: EU youth programme called propaganda