People (or at least certain newspapers) think EU laws are dreamt up by Brussels bureaucrats on an idle day. In fact, most of the proposals are in response to suggestions from Member States, MEPs and ordinary citizens.

An example was in the press last week. Police in this country have raised concerns over the driving habits of citizens of other countries when they come to the UK. Different road laws in other EU countries mean that other EU nationals may not be aware of our own driving laws, and be more likely to break them. Some even use it as an excuse to break our road laws according to the police, using ignorance to justify dangerous driving.

Because of these concerns, British police have called for road rules to be standardised across the EU. Eddy Greif, of the European Traffic Police Network said that, "I do not believe that drinking alcohol and driving is less dangerous in the United Kingdom than in other parts of the European Union, and I am very sceptical that a driver has more chance to survive a high speed crash on a German motorway than on similar well built roads in other Member States. It would certainly help drivers to know that traffic regulations applied all over Europe are the same, it is the first condition they must comply with."

Of course, to become law, a response from the Commission is not enough. Any proposal drafted by them must secure the agreement of the EU Council (of ministers of the national governments) and the European Parliament.

So an idea like this one, coming for our police, will only become a European law if they can obtain widespread support for it.