June 3, 2007
“EU targets huddling smokers’ last haven: the office doorway”
(Observer, 3 June 2007 pp.1,4)
“Ciggie break stubbed out”
(Daily Star, 4 June 2007, p.23)
” Smokers who refuse to quit could be denied routine surgery”
(The Daily Telegraph, 4 June 2007, pp.1,2)
There are no EU proposals to restrict smoking outdoors. These articles refer to a Green Paper, a document that invites member states and stakeholders to discuss possible policy options on health risks related to smoking. A Green Paper launches a consultation and does not propose legislation. This particular paper also clearly states that one option is taking no action whatsoever at EU level. National measures may prove sufficient to tackle the threat to public health, which all EU member states agree exists.
The consultation launched by the Green Paper ended on 1st June. The Commission will now analyse the responses and produce a report with the main findings of the consultation before considering further steps, …
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October 31, 2004
Euro rules threaten Britain’s thatched-roof landscape
They are quintessentially English; the picture that adorns a million chocolate boxes. But the quaint tradition of thatched roofs on country cottages is under threat from the European Commission. There are 50,000 thatched cottages in England and more in Wales and Scotland, many of which have survived centuries of exposure to the elements thanks to their long-straw wheat roofs…Attempts to save Britain’s traditional thatched roofs are being thwarted because European rules ban farmers from buying or even being given the old long-straw organic wheat seeds they need to start growing traditional thatching straw. Some fear the old roofs could soon be all but lost, as they have been in mainland Europe. ‘I’m quite pessimistic,’ said Jack Lewis, a recently retired thatcher. ‘It’s a steady drip, drip, and after a while it might tip over.’…Originally, all thatching in Western Europe was done with straw except pockets …
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December 30, 2001
Watch out, the euro can make you sick
It has been accused of crushing national identity, pushing up prices and being the best friend of fraudsters and drug barons. But now the euro – Europe’s new single currency – faces its toughest criticism: it can make you ill. After years of anticipation, the coins and notes will be launched in 12 countries on Tuesday. But millions of people who eagerly grab their new coins could see their hands turn into a scaly, diseased mass after minutes. … Medical researchers have conducted tests showing the coins can make far more people sick than the currencies they replace.
(The Observer, 30 December 2001, page 1)
Is the euro a rash move?
Never mind the supposed constitutional problems involved in joining the euro – the coins themselves could turn out to be bad for your health. … Eurosceptics would have you believe that the euro is a …
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February 20, 1995
Myth: Acts of kindness such as feeding stale bread to swans, and bakers and other industries giving leftovers to wildlife charities or to the homeless, have been banned by an EC Directive which goes on to stipulate that those giving and those receiving must possess a licence as well. Adding insult to injury, these licences cost approximately £2,000 each.
(The Observer, 20.2.94 The Star, 21.2.94)
Response: The EC has not done any such thing. If this situation has resulted from anything it could be the UK’s 1990 Environmental Protection Act.
Elements of this Act implement EC legislation as agreed by national ministers. The relevant EC Directive deals with the disposal of waste, and aims to protect the environment and the health of EC citizens against the harmful effects that can be caused by the collection, transport, treatment, storage and tipping of waste. It is recognised that central to improving the efficiency of the …
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February 20, 1994
Acts of kindness such as feeding stale bread to swans, and bakers and other industries giving leftovers to wildlife charities or to the homeless, have been banned by an EC Directive which goes on to stipulate that those giving and those receiving must possess a licence as well. Adding insult to injury, these licences cost approximately £2,000 each. (The Observer, 20 February 1994)
The EC has not done any such thing. If this situation has resulted from anything it could be the UK’s 1990 Environmental Protection Act.
Elements of this Act implement EC legislation as agreed by national ministers. The relevant EC Directive deals with the disposal of waste (*), and aims to protect the environment and the health of EC citizens against the harmful effects that can be caused by the collection, transport, treatment, storage and tipping of waste. It is recognised that central to improving the efficiency of the management …
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September 19, 1993
Statement: The EC is to ban the serving of rare meat in restaurants as it contains “too much bacteria”. This, together with other similar rules, is causing immense problems for restaurateurs and helping to drive out their customers.
Source: The Observer (19 September 1993)
Response: This is wholly untrue. The EC has no such plans, and furthermore its Food Hygiene Directive, which lays down the guidelines in this sphere, does not in any way apply to retailers (ie. butchers, restaurants and pubs) but only to those operations carried out before the point of sale.
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September 19, 1993
Myth: The EC is to ban the serving of rare in restaurants as it contains “too much bacteria”. This, together with other similar rules, is causing immense problems for restaurateurs and helping to drive out their customers.
(The Observer, 19.09.1993, page 2)
Response: This is wholly untrue. The EC has no such plans, and firthemore its Food Hygiene Directive. which lays down the guidelines in this sphere, does not in any way apply to retailers (i.e. butchers, restaurants and pubs) but only to those operations carried out before the point of sale.
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