France coming into line with EU over Gaming Law

It looks like the French Government has eventually made some progress on bringing its online gambling legislation into line with European requirements. For best part of a year now Günther Verheugen the European Commissioner in charge of Company and Industry has been pointing out that French laws do not conform to European Laws and although a number of proposals had been made by the French, they had been rejected. One of the major stumbling blocks was the insistence by the French that a Gaming License be obtained in France. The EU pointed out that if a company had a gaming license from one EU state it should be valid in all EU states and that any deviation from this rule would be against the principles of the EU. The latest proposal has dropped this requirement so there is now real hope that France is showing a willingness that has so far been absent. Also dropped from the most recent draft is the requirement  to have a unique correspondent in France. The EU in the shape of Mr Verheugen has given a nod of approval to the proposals but there are still hurdles to be overcome. Mr Verheugen does not agree with the French standpoint that the consent of sports federations should be sought before any betting on their sport takes place and there is also discussion about the upper limit of the rate of transfer but nevertheless, the signs are good and it is hoped that legislation can be finalized by May of 2010.