Sweden infringement case faces delay
Proposed meeting between Commission's Michel Barnier and Sweden official cancelled this week
Infringement proceedings launched against Sweden by the European Commission face fresh delays after a meeting between officials from both parties was cancelled earlier this week.
Discussions between the two sides over the issue are ongoing, however a meeting between European commissioner for internal markets and services Michel Barnier and Sweden’s minister of finance markets Peter Norman, due to take place on Monday, was cancelled at late notice.
Barnier is currently in the running to replace Jose Manuel Barroso as European Commission president, with elections to take place in May this year.
The EC launched infringement proceedings against several EU Member States in November 2013, sending two reasoned opinions to Sweden over possible breaches of internal market rules.
Reasoned opinions are the second and final stage in a pre-litigation procedure by the Commission which could result in Sweden hit with a European Court of Justice hearing over alleged restrictions on the supply of online gambling.
A spokesperson for Sweden’s monopoly Svenska Spel would not comment on the matter, however a Commission spokeswoman confirmed to eGaming Review that the meeting has been rescheduled for 6 February.
The legality of Sweden’s gambling monopoly has been repeatedly questioned, resulting in an ongoing argument between Svenska Spel and the Swedish Newspaper Publishers’ Association Tidningsutgivarna (TU).
TU lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission regarding Sweden’s regulatory model last month, prompting an article for Swedish financial Dagens Industry by Svenska Spel chairwoman Anitra Steen in which she condemned newspapers profiting from advertisements for foreign gambling companies.
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