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This article is part of a series on the politics and government of the European Union
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A euromyth is a purportedly exaggerated or invented story about allegedly nonsensical EU legislation or EU bodies.[1][2] The term has also been applied by Eurosceptics to purportedly misleading or exaggerated claims by the European Commission, and some assert that the term is falsely applied to true stories.[3]
Sometimes debate as to whether a particular claim is true or not continues long after the original story appeared.[4] On occasions, Euromyths may arise when the actions of a different European organisation, such as the [5]
The European Union has introduced a policy of publicly rebutting negative coverage that it regards as unfair or distorted.[6]
Accusations of distorted or untruthful reporting are most commonly directed at conservative and Eurosceptic sections of the British media.[7] Stories often present the European civil service[8] as drafting rules that "defy common sense". Examples cited as Euromyths include stories about rules banning mince-pies, curved bananas and mushy peas.[1] Others include a story that English fish and chips shops would be forced to use Latin names for their fish (Sun, 5 September 2001),[8] that double-decker buses would be banned (The Times, 9 April 1998),[9] that British rhubarb must be straight,[10] and that barmaids would have to cover up their cleavage.[11]
In some cases Euromyth-type stories have been traced to deliberate attempts by lobbyists to influence actions by the European bureaucracy, for instance the imposition of customs duties.[12][13] EU officials have also claimed that many such stories result from unclear or misunderstood information on complicated policies,[14] and are claimed to have seized on minor errors in stories as evidence that they are entirely fictional.[15]
The alleged ban on curved bananas is a long-standing, famous, and stereotypical claim[16][17][18][19] that is used in headlines to typify the Euromyth.[20][21] Amongst other issues of acceptable quality and standards, the regulation does actually specify minimum dimensions. It also states that bananas shall be free from deformation or abnormal curvature.[22] However the provisions relating to shape apply fully only to bananas sold as Extra class; some defects of shape (but not size) are permitted in Class I and Class II bananas.
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."[23] Some Eurosceptic sources have claimed this to be an admission that the original regulations did indeed ban under-sized or misshapen fruit and vegetables.[24][25]
On 25 March 2010, a BBC article noted that there are 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 were scrapped by MEPs in November 2008, in a drive to cut EU bureaucracy, with misshapen fruit and vegetables coming back on sale in the UK last summer. This happened after it was revealed a fifth of produce had been rejected by shops across the EU because it failed to meet the requirements."[26]
Hang on: I thought it was all meant to be a scare story. Whenever Euro-enthusiasts found themselves losing an argument, they would say, “You’re making all this up: it’s a tabloid Euro-myth, like bent bananas”. [...] Yet it now turns out that, by the EU's own admission, there were rules specifying the maximum permitted curvature of bananas.
Euromyths provide great fun for journalists. The media has a mission to entertain, and some of them rise magnificently to that goal, Mr Cook said. "But they are failing in their other mission – to inform. From now on, the Government will be rebutting all such stories vigorously and promptly. You will be hearing the catchphrase 'facts, not myths' until that is the way the EU is reported.
Crackpot Euro chiefs have decreed British rhubarb must be straight. Farmers will have to throw away crooked stalks under barmy new rules. The order follows a review of community fruit and vegetable standards by the EU agricultural directorate
It all began, I am reliably informed, in the boardroom of a well known sauce manufacturer which must remain nameless. [. . .] Such firms do not understandably like to be seen manipulating or greasing the wheels of power for their own ends, so the company in question retained a lobbying firm which must also remain nameless.
European Union Member States yesterday held a preliminary vote on Commission proposals to repeal specific marketing standards for 26 types of fruit and vegetables. While not binding, the vote gives a strong indication that these standards will be repealed when the formal vote is taken later in the year. The Member States did not reach a qualified majority either for or against the proposal. If, after allowing time for appropriate scrutiny by our trading partners, this vote were repeated later in the year, the rules would be repealed under the Commission's responsibility. The Commission's initiative to get rid of these standards followed a declaration made last year during the reform of the Common Market Organisation for fruit and vegetables. It is a major element in the Commission's ongoing efforts to streamline and simplify the rules and cut red tape. The proposal would also allow Member States to exempt fruit and vegetables from specific marketing standards if they are sold with a label "products intended for processing" or equivalent wording. Such products could be either misshapen or under-sized and could for example be used by consumers for cooking or salads etc. In this era of high prices and growing demand, it makes no sense to throw these products away or destroy them. "This is a concrete example of our drive to cut red tape and I will continue to push until it goes through," said Mariann Fischer Boel, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. "It shouldn't be the EU's job to regulate these things. It is far better to leave it to market operators. It will also cut down on unnecessary waste and benefit consumers." The proposals would maintain specific marketing standards for 10 products which account for 75 percent of the value of EU trade: apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes, tomatoes. Member States could exempt even these from the standards if they were sold in the shops with an appropriate label. They would abolish specific standards for 26 products: apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocadoes, beans, Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflowers, cherries, courgettes, cucumbers, cultivated mushrooms, garlic, hazelnuts in shell, headed cabbage, leeks, melons, onions, peas, plums, ribbed celery, spinach, walnuts in shell, water melons, witloof/chicory, while setting new general minimum standards for the marketing of fruit and vegetables. For practical reasons, all of these changes would be implemented from 1 July 2009.
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