Sections of the right-wing press have leapt upon the new EU Employment Directive (relating to age discrimination) as (yet another) example of a European Commission 'diktat' with a Sunday Telegraph leading article claiming that the law has 'no democratic mandate at all'.

Before hordes of Eurosceptics start foaming at the mouth, it's worth pointing out that our Westminster government which was, last time I checked, elected, agreed to the directive in November 2000.

Indeed, all EU legislation is issued by the Council, a body which is made up of ministers from democratically elected governments of the EU's member states. The Council works on the basis of creating consensus rather than imposing 'diktats' onto reluctant member states. Its decisions are subject to the extra safeguard of scrutiny by the elected European Parliament and by national parliaments (in our case the Commons and the Lords scrutiny committees).

The Commission has no powers to dictate anything, merely the ability to propose rather than enact legislation.

It is disappointing that the Sunday Telegraph chose to use their editorial to peddle myth and factual inaccuracy.