On Friday 9 March, the European justice ministers reached a political agreement in principle ('general approach') on the directive aiming to fight against fraud and counterfeiting by means of payment other than cash (see EUROPE 11865).
While the member states succeeded in overcoming their differences in a spirit of "compromise", many are left unsatisfied. Belgium, Luxembourg and Poland particularly expressed regret as to the ambition of the text. Belgium's minister, Koen Geens, said...