Strasbourg, 17/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - 'In my political life I have not been afraid to take on impossible causes and tilt at windmills and run into brick walls, but I think that if we did attempt some kind of harmonisation of this area (gambling and betting, Ed.), what we would end up with, if anything, would be the most illiberal piece of legislation ever to go through any House anywhere in the world, because this is not possible,' said EU Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy in Strasbourg on Tuesday 14 November, in response to a question from an MEP on the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee. In response to a different point, he said: 'We can start by getting consensus in this Parliament, but I do not think we will. I am certain that we will not get it in the Council of Ministers.'
Charlie McCreevy commented on the European Commission decision in April to ask seven Member States for more information on their legislation that restricts the supply of sports betting services (following similar requests to three other Member States in October, see EUROPE 9170 and 9286), explaining that his services were 'now examining the formal replies received from each,' and he expected the examination to be completed in the next few weeks.
Commissioner McCreevy stressed the sensitivities that exist in many Member States on the question of gambling. 'Member States are fully entitled to protect general interest objectives, such as the protection of consumers. However, those measures must be necessary, proportionate and non-discriminatory. In particular, they must be applied to national and non-national operators in a systematic and consistent way'.
British Tory MEP Malcolm Harbour said it would be appropriate for the European Commission to publish guidelines for the Member States on the attitude they should take towards approval requests from well-established betting companies with a good reputation which simply want to be able to operate in other Member States in line with legislation in force in those countries. Jacques Toubon (EPP-ED, France), argued in a press release that the Commission's approach was insufficient and dangerous because simply opening the market to all public and private operators ran the risk of leading to serious psychological dependency and addiction to gambling. Toine Manders (ALDE, the Netherlands) regretted the Commission's reluctance to take action. Charlie McCreevy said: 'In the absence of such a political consensus, legal certainty may ultimately only be provided by the European Court of Justice'. (mb)