Euromyth

A euromyth is a pejorative term used to describe negative media coverage of the European Union that is perceived as exaggerated, distorted or untruthful.^[1][2] Euromyths tend to arise when the actions of a different European organisation, such as the Council of Europe, are erroneously attributed to the EU.^[3] At other times misunderstanding is blamed or proposals are found to be drawn from working papers, policy suggestions or individual ideas that have been presented as a fixed decision being enacted when they may simply be proposals that have little chance of being realised as a piece of legislation.^{[citation needed]}

The British press, in particular, is often blamed for circulating Euromyths although there is a similar phenomenon in Greece.^[4]

The British government and the European Union have responded to what they see as misinformation by introducing a policy of publicly rebutting euromyths.^[4][5]

Source of euromyths

Some euromyths are the result of sensationalist reporting by journalists.^[6] In this respect the British media - in particular the eurosceptic and conservative sections - is a prime source of euromyths. Stories often present the European civil service (sometimes referred to as "eurocrats", "europrats", or "barmy Brussels bureaucrats")^[7] as drafting rules that "defy common sense", such as rules banning mince-pies, curved bananas, or mushy peas.^[2] Other euromyths include the story that English fish and chips shops would be forced to use Latin names for the fish (Sun, 5 September 2001)^[7], that double-decker buses would be banned (The Times, 9 April 1998)^[8], that British rhubarb must be straight^[9], and that barmaids would have to cover up their cleavages.^[10]

In other cases euromyths have been traced to deliberate attempts by lobbyists to influence actions by the European bureaucracy, for instance the imposition of customs duties.^[11][12] EU officials have also claimed that many such stories result from unclear or misunderstood information on complicated policies.^[13]

Rebuttal of euromyths by the European Union and the British government

In 2004, the British representation of the EU created a "rapid rebuttal service" to counter what it regarded as misleading and inaccurate reports.^[4] The British government, too, launched a campaign "facts, not myths" to combat misreporting about the European Union.^[5]

Examples of euromyths and rebuttal or explanation

Circus performers to wear hard hats

On the 23 July 2003 The Times ran the following story; "Circus performer must walk tightrope in hard hat, says Brussels. A tightrope-walker says that his career has been placed in jeopardy by legislation originating in Brussels which dictates that he must wear a hard hat to perform".^[14] The EU responded that the story stemmed from new EU laws which were introduced to protect workers who operate at height but, in the legislation in question, there is no mention of hard hats or circus performers.^[15]

Swings too high

Also in 2003 the BBC reported that a council in Wiltshire had had to remove swings from a village because, under EU regulations, they were considered "too high". As with many Euromyths, there was both fact and fiction in the story: the BBC article continues to note that the EU did not in fact insist that the swings were removed but points out that the council itself chose to remove the swings as the framework itself was considered to be dangerously high under the new EU regulations. ^[16]

Truck Drivers to eat Muesli

According to the EU commission in Australia and New Zealand^[17] it was reported in several British newspapers that truck drivers were going to be forced to stop eating 'fry-ups' and be forced to eat Muesli and Croissants by the EU.

In fact the EU was merely planning guidelines for truck drivers which focussed on health and safety issues such as diet. The legislation was mainly concerned with enforcing driver training and conveying information on the importance of rest and responsible driving. There was no mention of drivers "being forced to eat muesli". This story also appears in the BBC quiz on the EU and "Euromyths".^[18]

One-size condoms

The Independent on Sunday, on 12 March 2000 reported "The EU … has decreed that condom dimensions should be harmonized across the seamless Continent".^{[19] [20]}

The European Commission responded:^[19]

"The EU is not involved in setting condom standards. The European Standardisation Committee (CEN) is a voluntary body made up of national standards agencies and affiliated industry/consumer organisations from nineteen European countries."

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) likewise rebutted the euromyth with the statement^[20]

Neither the European Union (EU) nor the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) have undertaken work to harmonize condom sizes. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) developed a standard in 2002 which covers methods for the testing of condom safety. It includes tests to ensure consumer confidence that the condom is an effective contraceptive, that it is helping to prevent the transmission of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), that it is free from holes, does not split during use, is correctly packaged to ensure protection during storage and is correctly labelled.

Seven years later, the EU condom regulation story was repeated as an April Fools' joke by Radio Netherlands. On 1 April 2007 Vanessa Mock, a journalist at the Brussels bureau of Radio Netherlands broke a story about a European Commission proposal to strictly regulate the size of condoms in the European Union. It included interviews with a Commission spokesman and a Member of the European Parliament and credibly argued that regulation was necessary to ensure competition and a level playing field for smaller companies producing condoms.^[21] It was picked up by many newspapers and radio stations in Europe.^{[citation needed]}

References

See also

• Euroscepticism
• Europhile

External links

• Euromyths from the European Commission
• Euromyths from the BBC
• Standards myths from CEN