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New map of Britain that makes Kent part of France...and it's a German idea
For centuries the people of Kent have called their county the Garden of England. So they might find it quite a surprise that - according to the European Union at least - they are actually part of France.
Along with next-door Sussex, Kent has been rolled in with the Calais area on a map drawn up for Brussels.
The counties now belong to the "Trans-Manche region".
Under the plans from German cartographers, the East of England has also been shoehorned into a new region, which includes Scandinavia.
The Western side of Britain has been lumped together with Ireland and the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain and Portugal.
The Tories accused the EU of plotting to undermine nation states and even "wipe Britain off the map".
They warned that the German government wants to make the downgrading of national borders a key plank of its presidency of the EU next year - despite the rejection of the European Constitution by voters.
Brussels bureaucrats are poised to take charge of all "spatial information" in EU nations, forcing the 25 member states to bring their maps into line with specifications laid down by Brussels.
Those living in counties from Essex northwards will join the North Sea region under the plans, which take in coastal areas of Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
The new regions have been drawn up for a project called Interreg, which wants to foster cross-border co-operation on issues such as tourism, trade, health and the environment.
The EU project will lead to a harmonisation of geographical names, administrative units and maps.
Brussels will also be able to create a database of property information used for taxation purposes.
The Tories claim this could be the first step in imposing an EU-wide property tax.
Local government spokesman Eric Pickles said: "Under the Labour Government, Britain has already been subdivided into regions as part of John Prescott's empire building.
"I fear that there is an agenda to undermine national identities and impose a United States of Europe by stealth. Conservatives will fight these attempts to Balkanise Britain.
"I fear Eurocrats could literally wipe Britain off the map and hardworking families and pensioners should be concerned that Europe wants the authority to build a database of their homes - this threatens to lead to an EU-wide property tax.
"We should work constructively with Europe to promote trade and co-operation between nations, but Conservatives believe that this is just the type of unwarranted interference that gives Brussels a bad name."
In a dossier on the new map, the Tories also warned: "Extending "transnationality" is to be a key part of German plans for their presidency of the European Union next year."
In June, Wolfgang Tiefensee, a German minister, said: "There is the great hope underlying the goal of a United Europe that we can permanently overcome old borders."
For centuries the people of Kent have called their county the Garden of England. So they might find it quite a surprise that - according to the European Union at least - they are actually part of France.
Along with next-door Sussex, Kent has been rolled in with the Calais area on a map drawn up for Brussels.
The counties now belong to the "Trans-Manche region".
Under the plans from German cartographers, the East of England has also been shoehorned into a new region, which includes Scandinavia.
The Western side of Britain has been lumped together with Ireland and the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain and Portugal.
The Tories accused the EU of plotting to undermine nation states and even "wipe Britain off the map".
They warned that the German government wants to make the downgrading of national borders a key plank of its presidency of the EU next year - despite the rejection of the European Constitution by voters.
Brussels bureaucrats are poised to take charge of all "spatial information" in EU nations, forcing the 25 member states to bring their maps into line with specifications laid down by Brussels.
Those living in counties from Essex northwards will join the North Sea region under the plans, which take in coastal areas of Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway.
The new regions have been drawn up for a project called Interreg, which wants to foster cross-border co-operation on issues such as tourism, trade, health and the environment.
The EU project will lead to a harmonisation of geographical names, administrative units and maps.
Brussels will also be able to create a database of property information used for taxation purposes.
The Tories claim this could be the first step in imposing an EU-wide property tax.
Local government spokesman Eric Pickles said: "Under the Labour Government, Britain has already been subdivided into regions as part of John Prescott's empire building.
"I fear that there is an agenda to undermine national identities and impose a United States of Europe by stealth. Conservatives will fight these attempts to Balkanise Britain.
"I fear Eurocrats could literally wipe Britain off the map and hardworking families and pensioners should be concerned that Europe wants the authority to build a database of their homes - this threatens to lead to an EU-wide property tax.
"We should work constructively with Europe to promote trade and co-operation between nations, but Conservatives believe that this is just the type of unwarranted interference that gives Brussels a bad name."
In a dossier on the new map, the Tories also warned: "Extending "transnationality" is to be a key part of German plans for their presidency of the European Union next year."
In June, Wolfgang Tiefensee, a German minister, said: "There is the great hope underlying the goal of a United Europe that we can permanently overcome old borders."
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