That's not nearly so controversial as the new Euro legislation requiring all vessels to fly the Euro 'blue and gold stars' ensign with the national flag in the top left quarter. Goodbye red, white and blue ensigns. The same legislation requires all vessels to be registered on an EU database, and to display the registration in letters and numbers of a height which is a minimum of 5% of the LOA.
Last year I nearly caused a Frenchman in La Rochelle to suffer a cardiac arrest by suggesting to him that Brussels had passed a law requiring the adoption of the Euro flag in all member states, and making the showing of old national falgs an imprisonable offence, as would be the playing of the old national anthems.
The Frenchman went purple with anger, saying that France would never give up the 'bleu,blanc,rouge', nor accede to the removal of 'Les Marseillaise'. Evidently my sarcasm didnt tranaslate well into French as it took a moment or to to calm him down - at which point he said that the EU, was of course the best thing since sliced bread ...