Euromyth


The term euromyth is used to refer to exaggerated or invented stories about the European Union and the activities of its institutions, such as purportedly nonsensical EU legislation.
Conversely, the same term has been applied by Eurosceptics to purportedly misleading or exaggerated claims by the European Commission, and some assert that the term is falsely applied to true stories.
Sometimes debate as to whether a particular claim is true or not continues long after the original story appeared. On occasions, Euromyths may arise when the actions of a different European organisation, such as the Council of Europe, are erroneously attributed to the EU.
In 2000, the British government announced a policy of publicly rebutting such myths, accusing journalists of failing in their mission to inform.

Straight bananas

The alleged ban on curved bananas is a long-standing, famous, and stereotypical claim that is used in headlines to typify the Euromyth. Amongst other issues of acceptable quality and standards, the regulation does actually specify minimum dimensions. It also states that bananas shall be free from deformation or abnormal curvature. However, the provisions relating to shape apply fully only to bananas sold as Extra class; slight defects of shape are permitted in Class I and Class II bananas. However, a proposal banning straight bananas and other misshapen fruits was brought before the European Parliament in 2008 and defeated.
On 29 July 2008, the European Commission held a preliminary vote towards repealing certain regulations relating to other fruit and vegetables. According to the Commission's press release, "In this era of high prices and growing demand, it makes no sense to throw these products away or destroy them It shouldn't be the EU's job to regulate these things. It is far better to leave it to market operators." Some Eurosceptic sources have claimed this to be an admission that the original regulations did indeed ban undersized or misshapen fruit and vegetables.
On 25 March 2010, a BBC article stated that there were EU shape standardisation regulations in force on "apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes and tomatoes", and "Marketing standards for 26 types of produce had been scrapped in November 2008, following information that a fifth of produce had been rejected by shops across the EU for failing to meet the requirements."

The British sausage as an "Emulsified High Fat Offal Tube"

A 1984 episode of the satirical television programme Yes Minister included a plot line where the Commission was to require the renaming of the British sausage as an "emulsified high fat offal tube", on account of it not containing enough meat. The 'eurosausage' story is used as an amusing, though fictional, example of a Euromyth.