Labour, which has launched a consultation on the case for statutory limits on the amount of sugar and salt in children's food, said the government was "doing nothing" to tackle the obesity crisis among children.

BBC: Poorer children more likely to be obese, says Anna Soubry

The Berlin-based non-profit Verkehrshclub Deutschland (Traffic Club Germany) has also repeatedly called for legal limits, which the organisation says could reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries each year by the hundreds.

BBC: Roads without limits

The Republic of Ireland has voted on whether to ratify the EU's Fiscal Pact, which sets strict limits for countries' budget deficits.

BBC: Ireland votes on EU fiscal pact