LONDON - Even the most fervent supporters of the European Union would acknowledge that its bureaucrats occasionally display an unrivaled talent for shooting themselves in the foot.
At a time of declining public enthusiasm for the pan-European project, Brussels has set aside time from tackling a chronic economic crisis to confront the pressing issue of how olive oil is served in the Continent's restaurants.
In a move that has been seized upon by so-called Euroskeptics as further proof of mindless interference by a faceless bureaucracy, the European Commission has announced a ban on offering olive oil in dipping bowls and refillable jugs.
From Jan. 1 next year, restaurants will only be allowed to provide the product in sealed, clearly labeled, and non-reusable containers.
The French newspaper Le Figaro said it had given Euroskeptics another issue to get their teeth into, while Reuters quoted critics of the ban as saying it would only add to the frustration of many towards a Union bureaucracy regarded as bloated and out of touch with the concerns of ordinary Europeans.
The measure has a serious purpose, according to its proponents. Sealed containers will offer a better guarantee of hygiene, and labels will ensure the quality and authenticity of olive oils.
The new rule also offers suppliers an opportunity to promote brand awareness.
But the European Union nevertheless faces the accusation that, at the very least, it is guilty of bad timing.
“Suddenly, E.U. ministers have decided to wage a war on bad hygiene and sound traditions when many Europeans can't afford a bar of decent soap,†wrote Robert Bridge for Russia Today.
The austerity measures to which Mr. Bridge referred in his commentary are seen as a major factor in the decline of the popularity of the Union, as revealed in a Pew Research Center survey this month.
The olive oil rule also comes at a time when Britain's Conservative Party is seen as tearing itself apart over the issue of Europe, with some demanding an early referendum on continued membership of the Union.
Seemingly crazy “diktats†from Europe are a staple of Britain's Euroskeptic press, which has in the past railed against rules that supposedly outlawed bent bananas or feeding bones to dogs.
Danny Alexander, a pro-European Liberal Democratic minister in Britain's coalition government, conceded that the olive oil rule was “pretty silly†but was not reason enough to leave the European Union.
Other legislators, however, demanded to know why Britain had not voted against the measure rather than abstaining.
Fifteen of the Union's 27 governments supported the olive oil rule. They included the Continent's main producers of the product - Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal - which have been among the hardest hit by the crisis in the euro currency zone.
It was opposed by other governments in the non-olive-producing north, including Germany, where an agriculture ministry representative was quoted as saying it would force restaurants to needlessly discard olive oil, contradicting a separate E.U. campaign to reduce food waste.
Europe is the world's largest olive oil producer, with up to 70 percent of the global market. The United States is the biggest consumer.
It is an industry that has been widely affected by fraud, one of the targets of the new European rule.
One criticism of European Union intervention in the olive oil business is that it favors big brand suppliers rather than small farmers, who continue to suffer low prices despite a fall in production in the past year.
In Spain, producer organizations have told their members not to be intimidated by bottlers and distributors, who they accuse of holding off buying the olive crop until the last moment in order to push prices down.
