eurealist.co.uk

The Press: Euro bureaucrats plan to axe ‘made in Britain‘ label
British manufacturers could soon be banned from using the “made in Britain” label on their goods. The European Commission wants to introduce a “Made in EU” mark that could eventually replace all indicators of national origin.
(Evening Standard, 12 January 2004, page 2)

EU ‘to KO Made in UK label’
Brussels penpushers are plotting to ban ‘Made in Britain‘ labels. They are secretly bidding to replace them with ‘Made in the EU’ stamps. Rolls-Royce cars, Scotch whisky, Kendal mintcake and Savile Row suits would all carry the labels under the plan.
(The Sun, 13 January 2004, pages 2)

The Facts:

The European Commission recently produced a document entitled “Made in the EU Origin Marking – Working Document of the Commission Services”. As the name suggests, this is not a proposal, but merely a consultative document looking at the pros and cons of products being marked with “Made in the EU”. It does not contain any plans to ban “Made in Britain” labels.

Notes:

 
The EU Commission would not waste time on a subject in which it was not interested, if it has no intention of moving towards a general labelling system for the EU then why issue a consultative document. Of course there were no plans  at this stage, but it seems if we are ever to get to grips with EU legislation, we have got to get in at the ground floor, that is, when the legislation is being formulated in the EU and not when it has already made the rules. When the press does pick up on something being debated early and then reports on it, the EU calls it a myth because they have not yet come to a conclusion.

Apparently, the Commission has since partially scrapped the idea but that does not give a lie to the original press reports, especially as the Commission is still looking at way to  tighten up the labelling system.