Myths and Rumours debunked
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
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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
- 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?
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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