New EU Commissioner Appointed to Consult on Gambling Legislation

The European Union (EU) has appointed a new internal market commissioner which will set straight current gambling legislation in EU countries. Michel Barnier has been appointed to the position after months of legislative debates between EU member states with regards to online gambling laws. The latest in a series of gambling related rows ended yesterday, when Spain were forced to readdress their gambling legislation, after it was suggested they were favouring domestic operators over overseas ones.

Barnier has announced he’ll be opening consultations with EU member states and countries such as Malta have welcomed his appointment. Unlike other member states, which have attempted to monopolise their gambling markets and refused overseas operators access, Malta believes that national markets shouldn’t be able to restrict other member states. The EU Commission has already begun infringement procedures against a number of member states and it’s believed Barnier’s position will be to smooth out debates and reach agreements with countries that are currently monopolising their gaming markets. An official source in Malta suggested that they will be paying close attention to Barnier’s work as internal market commissioner, noting that “Malta is all for more clarification of the rules but these should not be used to introduce restrictive practices”.