British people will be branded EU citizens from "cradle to grave", ministers warn
British people will be branded EU citizens from "cradle to grave" as the European Union introduces its own birth, marriage and death certificates, ministers have warned.
Officials told The Daily Telegraph that the expenditure was a saving because it would replace 400 departmental logos within the commission
Eric Pickles, the local government secretary, fears that the European Union flag could replace the royal crest on all the official documents within three years under EU regulations.
The government says it is powerless to stop the forms from being rolled out across the country because they are being introduced under the Lisbon treaty.
Mr Pickles said: "From cradle to grave, Britons are now to be stamped with the EU flag, as Brussels starts interfering in people’s birth, death and marriage.
"This imposed Euro-law is part of an aggressive propaganda campaign to bully councils and public institutions into flying the EU flag at every opportunity.
"Eurocrats are brazen about their political agenda to advance their ‘European project’, wipe nation states off the map, and remove the Union Jack and our Royal Crest from public life.”
The European Union insists the documents are optional, but Mr Pickles believes that "Euro creep" means they will become compulsory in Britain.
He gave the example of driving licences, which were given "mutual recognition" across Europe in 1991 only for the use of the European Union flag on them to be made compulsory five years later.
He said: "This EU stamp won’t be optional – just look at the Euro-creep of the EU flag ending up on every driving licence.”
The documents, described as "union multilingual standard forms", are being rolled out across the European Union from next year. They will carry the same weight as official British documents, but can be used in any member state.
The European Commission has said that the initiative is part of plans to give a "new political dimension" to the "European project", which will see more than £265million spent on promoting EU citizenship.
The legislation suggests that birth, marriage and death certificates will not be the only standardised forms.
Other documents being introduced in Britain include company records, proof of land ownership and a form demonstrating the "absence of a criminal record". Digital copies of the documents will be made so they can be emailed between authorities.
Mr Pickles is concerned that the regulation includes a recommendation that it should be reviewed every three years to establish whether “the scope of the regulation should be extended”. He fears that they will use the review to make the EU documents compulsory.
A spokesman for the European Union said: “The proposed standardised forms are optional. They would not replace national documents which would continue to exist.
“But of course, if national authorities provide a European document and if citizens choose it, then it has the same effect as the national document: namely to establish certain facts with regards to the person in question.”
Viviane Reding, the EU’ Justice Commissioner, said that the measures were intended to cut down on red tape. “When you move abroad, you have to go through these costly formalities in order to establish that your birth certificate is indeed a birth certificate or simply to make use of a company certificate creates a bureaucratic headache.
“I have heard countless stories about the hassle involved in satisfying these incomprehensible requirements. Today, the Commission is acting to simplify people's and companies’ lives when they exercisetheir free movement rights in the EU.”
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