Since 2002 it has become a legal requirement that all consumer goods sold in the EU must have a minimum of a 2 year warranty.
If something breaks or fails within 2 years and the retailer or manufacturer claim that there is only a 1 year warranty, you just need to quote Article 5 of the EU Product Warranty Directive (1999):
Article 5: Time limits
The seller shall be held liable under Article 3 where the lack of conformity becomes apparent within two years as from delivery of the goods. If, under national legislation, the rights laid down in Article 3(2) are subject to a limitation period, that period shall not expire within a period of two years from the time of delivery.
The whole directive is here:
http://europa.eu.int/...i/sg...model=guichett