Brussels, 26/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - MEP Santiago Fisas-Ayxela (EPP, Spain), who has been charged with drafting the European Parliament response to the European Commission's communication on sport, met European Lotteries President Friedrich Stickler at a workshop organised by the “Sport and Citizenship” think tank in the European Parliament in Brussels on 23 May. They discussed issues related to sports betting (which were debated at the Sports Council on Friday 20 May, see EUROPE 10384), with particular reference to the funding and integrity of sport. “We have to tackle the issue of illegal sports betting operators and the corruption that flows from their activities. We have to provide a framework for sports betting and ensure the uncertainty of the result, which is the very essence of sport”, Fisas-Ayxela said. “Confronted with the threat of match-fixing, we urgently need cooperation between legal operators, regulators and sports organisations”, added Stickler. The Commission has recently brought forward important communications on sports and online gambling policies, on which the Parliament is due, this autumn, to adopt resolutions reflecting its political viewpoint. (I.L./transl.rt)