Euromyth

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates A euromyth is an exaggerated or invented story about the European Union (EU) and the activities of its institutions, such as purportedly nonsensical EU legislation.<ref name="Stanyer">Template:Cite book Template:Cite news</ref>

Conversely, the same term has been applied by Eurosceptics to purportedly misleading or exaggerated claims by the European Commission, and some assert that the term (in the former sense) is falsely applied to true stories.<ref name="Euro-sceptic Web Ring">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Debate as to whether a particular claim is true sometimes continues long after the original story appeared.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On occasions, Euromyths may arise when the actions of a different European organisation, such as the Council of Europe, are erroneously attributed to the EU.<ref name="bbcmyths_corgis">Template:Cite news.</ref>

In 2000, the British government announced a policy of publicly rebutting such myths and accused journalists of failing in their mission to inform.<ref name="Cook">Template:Cite news</ref>Template:Needs update inline Accusations of distorted or untruthful reporting are most commonly directed at conservative and Eurosceptic sections of the British media.<ref name=NetworkEurope2007-08-24>Template:Cite news</ref> Stories can present the European civil service<ref name="Cross_hippoglossus">The Sun, 5 September 2001, quoted in Template:Cite book</ref> as drafting rules that "defy common sense". Examples cited as Euromyths include stories about rules banning mince pies, prawn cocktail crisps, curved bananas and mushy peas.<ref name="Stanyer"/> Others include a story that English fish and chips shops would be forced to use Latin names for their fish (The Sun, 5 September 2001),<ref name="Cross_hippoglossus"/> quoted in<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> that double-decker buses would be banned (The Times, 9 April 1998),<ref name="Cross_other">quoted in Template:Cite book</ref> that barmaids would have to cover up their cleavage.<ref name="bbcmyths_barmaids">Template:Cite news</ref>

In some cases, Euromyth stories have been traced to deliberate attempts by lobbyists to influence actions by the European bureaucracy, such as the level of customs duties for particular products.<ref name="Hippoglossus-p56">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> EU officials have also claimed that many such stories result from unclear or misunderstood information on complicated policies,<ref name=CNN20040608>Template:Cite news</ref> and are claimed to have seized on minor errors in stories as evidence that they are entirely fictional.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Examples

British sausage as an "Emulsified High Fat Offal Tube"

A 1984 episode of the satirical television programme Yes Minister included a plotline in which the Commission would require the renaming of the British sausage as an "emulsified high fat offal tube" on account of it not containing enough meat.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although Jim Hacker, the government minister responsible for its implementation, managed to get British sausages exempt, he informed the press of the requirement in order to boost his standing in his party's leadership contest. The "eurosausage" story is used as an amusing but fictional example of a Euromyth.

Straight bananas

Template:See also The alleged ban on curved bananas is a long-standing, famous and stereotypical claim<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> that is used in headlines to typify the Euromyth.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> With other issues of acceptable quality and standards, the regulation specifies minimum dimensions and states that bananas shall be free from deformation or abnormal curvature.<ref name="Consolidated text">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The provisions relating to shape apply fully only to bananas sold as Extra class; slight defects of shape (but not size) are permitted in Class I and Class II bananas. A proposal banning straight bananas and other misshapen fruits was brought before the European Parliament in 2008 and defeated.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 29 July 2008, the European Commission held a preliminary vote towards repealing certain regulations relating to other fruit and vegetables but not bananas. According to the Commission's press release, "In this era of high prices and growing demand, it makes no sense to throw these products away or destroy them [...] It shouldn't be the EU's job to regulate these things. It is far better to leave it to market operators".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some Eurosceptic sources have claimed this to be an admission that the original regulations did indeed ban undersized or misshapen fruit and vegetables.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 25 March 2010, a BBC article stated that there were EU shape standardisation regulations in force on "apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes" and "Marketing standards for 26 types of produce had been scrapped in November 2008, following information that a fifth of produce had been rejected by shops across the EU for failing to meet the requirements".<ref name="auto"/>

External links

• Euromyths on the European Commission page (archived)
• Euromyths from the BBC (archived)
• Euromyths popular in Poland (in Polish)
• Euromyths connected to European standards on the European Committee for Standardization webpage (archived)