Brussels, 22/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has cleared an agreement which settles the dispute between British bookmaker Ladbroke and the Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU), which comprises the main French racing businesses in France, on the subject of the broadcasting of French races in Belgium. The dispute had raged between the two companies since July 1990 and concerned the satellite broadcasting rights in Belgium of horse races run in France. The French PMU refused to grant the British group a licence. Given this behaviour, that Ladbroke found anti-competitive, the latter had filed several complaints with the Commission and applications with the European Courts in the aim of finding that the Community competition rules had been infringed. Ladbroke's main assertion was that the refusal by the French racing societies and the PMU to provide it with the French sound and pictures constituted an abuse of a dominant position. In order to settle the dispute, the PMU agreed to provide Ladbroke, on a non-exclusive basis, live televised pictures of French races as well as commentary and data for broadcasting in Ladbroke's off-course betting shops in Belgium. In addition, the PMU will provide the necessary equipment for decoding the satellite signal needed to receive the broadcasts. Further to these concessions, the British bookmaker agreed to withdraw the action initiated at the Court of First Instance and the Court of Justice of the EC, as well as the complaints filed with the Commission concerning PMU activities. In its current version, the agreement acknowledges that the parties are free to enter any market where the relevant national legislation authorises their respective activities. The Commission considered that the agreement concluded between the parties was an "excellent outcome" to the dispute and approved it.