SIR - Mark Starr's description of the decision to move towards low- energy light bulbs across Europe (January 11) as an "EU diktat" is simply nonsense. The EU has no such powers.

Member states agreed together that radical action needs to be taken to cut back carbon emissions to combat global warming.

They asked the European Commission to come up with a range of proposals to address the issue.

One of the proposals was to introduce low-energy light bulbs - a proposal willingly embraced by all EU countries.

If Mark Starr doesn't like it, he should blame Gordon Brown for signing up to it. For the record, most people believe this is one decision in Europe that Brown actually got right.

PHILIP BUSHILL-MATTHEWS, MEP.