“After Fifa poppy fiasco, the latest bright idea from Brussels? EU flag on England shirts” Daily Mail, 11 November 2011

“How Brussels blew £3.7bn of taxpayers’ cash on energy, agriculture and transport” Daily Mail, 11 November 2011

Dear Sir

Some clarifications on EU stories. First, there are not and never will be measures “stipulating” that sports teams should wear the EU flag or that Wembley or Lords should fly it. Second, the EU Court of Auditors report did not say “Brussels squandered £3.7 billion”. It said 96% of EU spending was free from error and that 90% of errors were made at national level – including in the UK – not by “Brussels”. Furthermore, the European Commission vigorously claws back mis-spent money. And many errors were procedural and concern otherwise succesful projects. So this is a serious matter but does not mean £3.7 billion was wasted.

Mark English
Head of Media, European Commission Office in …

A letter sent by the European Parliament office to the Daily Express in answer to their article about “Brussels” “forcing” national teams to wear the EU symbol. It is worth pointing out that the report being discussed today is looking at ways to respond to pan-European challenges such as in the fight against violence and racism in sport, doping, encouraging good governance in sport, and helping associations establish mechanisms for the collective selling of media rights to ensure adequate redistribution of revenues.

Sir,
 
Your front page story today contains a number of very misleading statements and basic inaccuracies.
 
As we have already made clear to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, when it first published this story several days ago, “Brussels” is not forcing British teams to wear the EU flag now, nor is it remotely likely to do so ever.

A single Spanish MEP has at this stage floated a suggestion.
 
The report referred to by …

Regarding your front page of today, only 2 buildings in the UK are expected to fly the European flag for Europe Day and the Commission would not fine countries that did not do so. The rules that make this provision were passed in 2006 by all EU countries, including the UK. No other public building has to fly the flag on 9 May though some may choose to do so. Some schools want to do something to mark the day and ask us for ideas. We send these purely on demand and they in no way constitute “instructions”.

Jonathan Scheele, Head of European Commission Representation in the UK
Michael Shackleton, Head of European Parliament Information Office in the UK

UPDATE (5:30pm) – The Editor of The Daily Express have declined to publish our letter

Letter to the Managing Editor of The Daily Mail, sent 8th July 2010

Sir,

Your article “Brussels fines us £150m for failing to fly the EU flag” is wrong. The EU has not “fined” the UK GBP150m and most definitely not in regards to displaying or not the EU flag.

The legal provisions adopted by the EU member states (the UK included) ask them to comply with certain minimum requirements on publicity and this includes the display of the EU logo on a permanent plaque. However, there have been no issues with the UK in this respect. 

Yours sincerely

Antonia Mochan

Head of Media
European Commission Representation, London

Daily Mail, p19, 5 August 1999
European-style car number plates are being legalised in Britain – but they must bear the blue 12-star EU flag and not our own national symbols. Brussels-imposed rules mean the plates…cannot have a Union Flag, the cross of St George, a Scottish saltire, or a Welsh dragon instead.
This is misleading. The design of car registration plates remains entirely in the control of national governments. There is absolutely no compulsion to show an EU emblem. A Regulation from 1998, implementing part of a 1968 UN-backed Convention, does establish a model for the design of registration plates which is intended to ensure mutual recognition of Member States’ insignia, but it applies only to those Member States which choose to adopt it. That an EU style design is now permitted for cars registered in the UK was the decision of the British Government and is neither ‘Brussels-imposed’ nor ‘a …