The funniest Euromyths, debunked

This Sunday marks the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which created the European Economic Community and put the continent on the path to today's European Union. Over the years, many urban myths about meddling "Eurocrats" and their overregulation have circulated among the British populace, who see these Euromyths as outrageous examples of threats to their way of life.

Here are three Euromyths that I found particularly funny.

Myth #1: Curved bananas are banned.

Truth: Commission regulation (EC) 2257/94 states bananas must be "free from malformation or abnormal curvature." Class 2 bananas, however, can have "defects of shape." "Abnormal curvature" isn't defined, although the regulation for cucumbers might provide a rule of thumb: Class 1 and "extra class" cucumbers can curve up to 10 mm per 10 cm of length. It's not clear who, exactly, measures all this produce.

Myth #2: Barmaids must cover their cleavage. (Otherwise, they could get skin cancer.)

Truth: When this story came out in 2005, one newspaper started a "Save Our Jugs" campaign. In reality though, the EU's draft Optical Radiation directive said employers must ensure their staff don't suffer from overexposure to the sun. A final vote by the European Parliament removed that stipulation from the directive and limited protection to employees working with artificial sources of radiation such as infrared lamps and lasers.

Myth #3: Firemen's poles must be removed. (One firefighter could get crushed by the next one sliding down.)

Truth: No EU health and safety legislation even mentions the poles. The UK, however, did transpose some parts of EU legislation into its 1992 Codes of Practice on health and safety at work. This action may have prompted some fire stations to remove poles.