Pipe down! Brussels slaps a noise order on heart of Scotland (The Sunday Times, 20 April 2008, page 7)
Bagpipes are to be quietened by an edict from Brussels. From this month, pipers must adhere to strict volume limits or risk breaking European Union health and safety laws. Bands have been ordered to tone down or wear earplugs to limit noise exposure to 85 decibels.
This article on noise at work regulations and their potential effects on bagpipe playing, whilst entertaining, unfortunately rings false on several counts.

First, there is no question of the ‘new’ rules silencing bagpipe playing. The EU noise exposure limit of 87 decibels is averaged over a working week of eight hours per day.

There are plenty of practical ways to control or reduce musicians’ exposure to excessive noise in a cost-effective way without stopping them from playing. These include various types of hearing protection devices such as in-ear monitors, …

Your 21-gun salutes are just too loud, Brussels tells the Royal Artillery (Mail on Sunday 5 March 2006)
The Royal Artillery is being forced to test ‘quieter’ cannon rounds in case its 21-gun salutes breach EU noise regulations. […] They have been warned that they might risk breaching the European Union’s ‘Physical Agents Directive’, which has reduced the maximum legal limit.
The background to this story is an EU directive from 1986 that aims to protect workers from exposure to harmful levels of noise they have to bear with in their jobs. The directive was later revised and the new ruling became law in all EU member states on 15 February. The Mail on Sunday seems to refer to this revision. However, the limit level for sudden noise, i.e. something like cannons, is not changed in the new rules (it was slightly reduced for continuous noise). The limit level for the 21- …

‘Open skies’ treaty threatens fight against global warming (The Guardian, 20 February 2006)
Britain could lose its ability to impose environmental taxes, restrictions and safeguards on airlines under a draft treaty between the EU and US which curtails the power of national governments. The draft treaty, meant to liberalise aviation, includes a little noticed clause requiring EU states to reach agreement with each other and with the US before taking measures to tackle noise or pollution from airlines.
This story is factually incorrect in a number of ways. Nothing in the draft agreement would prevent the EU from taking environmental measures in aviation policy. The draft agreement does not place either the EU or the US under any obligation to agree with the other in advance of taking environmental measures, and nothing in the text would curtail the existing powers of national governments in relation to environmental matters. The European Commission will …

Barmy EU plans pub noise ban
Potty EU bureaucrats want to ban music and loud chatter from pubs and clubs – by bringing in a strict noise ban.
(The Sun, 11 January 2002, page 7)

EU’re not singing..
Pubs showing England’s World Cup games this summer could forced to keep the noise down under crazy new European rules.  A killjoy EU directive has set a maximum of 87 decibels.  It is meant to protect workers but pub bosses are worried it will ruin the atmosphere in their boozers.
(Sunday People, 20 January 2002, page 12)

Work behind a bar?  You have to wear earmuffs
Bar staff should wear earmuffs, according to an extraordinary proposal by a Euro-MP.
(Daily Mail, 24 January 2002, page 23)

Beethoven’s 9th off limits in EU noise plan
Musicians are fighting to be exempted from a European Union directive to reduce workplace noise levels which will require hundreds of pieces of classical music to be played …