If you throw away those old musical socks the kids gave you last Christmas you face a hefty fine under a planned new EU rule. An army of dustbin detectives will make sure that anything with an electrical circuit – which includes novelty socks and singing birthday cards – doesn’t get tossed out with the rubbish. … It is hoped the barmy EU rule – … – will stop old mobiles, computers, tools, hairdryers and even light bulbs and nasal hair removers being buried at dumps.
(Sunday People, 3 March 2002, p 12)

Householders face fines for throwing away unwanted electrical goods under an EU law passed yesterday.
(Daily Mail, 11 April 2002, p 33)

Local authorities could face “electronic mountains” of old washing machines, computers, toasters and clocks under an ultra-green recycling law passed by the European Parliament yesterday.
(The Daily Telegraph, 11 April 2002, p 15)
 

Electrical products account for four per cent of …

Brussels plan to scrap our passports (The Mail on Sunday, 29 October 2000, page 1)
Eurocrats are to demand that the Queen’s crest is wiped from British passports – and replaced by the yellow stars of the EU.

Our passports to lose royal crest (Sunday People, 29 October 2000, page 4)
The Queen’s crest on British passports is set to be scrapped – on orders of Euro officials.

Battle royal looms over UK passports (Sunday Express, 29 October 2000, page 4)
Tony Blair faces a battle with Brussels over plans for a new European Union passport
Firstly, there is no such thing as a European passport. There are British passports, French passports, German passports, etc. Each follows a European format in order to speed up travel in the EU by making it easier for customs and police officers to recognise.

There are no plans to replace the Queen’s crest with the EU stars. In any case, no …

Europe wants tax on taping TV at home
Families face paying a levy to video their favourite television programmes under a new European directive…
(The Sunday Telegraph, page 10, 19 March 2000)

Euro-prats want a tax on TV tapes
Meddling Eurocrats want to tax TV addicts who tape their favourite shows…
(Sunday People, page 35, 19 March 2000)

Euro tax wind-up on vids
The proposal was sneaked into the latest EU copyright directive…
(The Star, page 7, 20 March 2000)
So-called “Euro-prats” have not “sneaked” anything into the amended proposal for a Copyright Directive.  In fact, the proposal explicitly states that compensation due to rightholders as a result of private copying of this kind would be “up to the Member States to decide in accordance with their legal traditions and practices”.  The UK would therefore be perfectly entitled to continue its practice of not imposing any such levies.

Euro-prats want a tax on TV tapes
Families face paying a levy to video their favourite television programmes under a new European directive…
(The Sunday Telegraph, page 10, 19 March 2000)

Euro tax wind-up on vids
The proposal was sneaked into the latest EU copyright directive…
(Daily Star, page 7, 20 March 2000)
Meddling Eurocrats want to tax TV addicts who tape their favourite shows…
(Sunday People, page 35, 19 March 2000)
So-called “Euro-prats” have not “sneaked” anything into the amended proposal for a Copyright Directive.  In fact, the proposal explicitly states that compensation due to rightholders as a result of private copying of this kind would be “up to the Member States to decide in accordance with their legal traditions and practices”.  The UK would therefore be perfectly entitled to continue its practice of not imposing any such levies.

Myth: A draft European Directive threatens to ban noisy toys. “The proposed Euro rules would mean that tin plate clicking frogs, tin whistles, old fashioned football rattles, ear-piercing whistles and toy xylophones may… be silenced for good.
Sources: Independent on Sunday,  News Of The World, Sunday People, Sunday Telegraph (14 January 1996), The Sun (15 January 1996)

Truth: A general Directive on toy safety was agreed in 1988. Under the new approach to harmonisation directives, the detailed laying down of technical specifications to meet the essential requirements of the directives is left to the standrads body.

The existing European standards for toy safety are the EN71 series standards. The EC has indeed asked the standards body concerned (CEN) to look at the question of noise intensity in revising this standard. This standards body on which are represented manufacturers, consumer bodies and other interested parties has carried out scientific work using as one of its …