The Court of Appeal of Versailles called on 21 January 2007 to the French authorities to justify their regulatory framework is consistent, proportionate and justified, applying thus the European Court of Justice interpretation in the cases of Gambelli and Placanica.
The Court considered that referring a question for a preliminary ruling to the ECJ was also not necessary as EC law was clear enough.
The decision, although it is not a final one, was praised by EGBA :
EGBA welcomes the decision of the Court of Appeal of Versailles, which relies on the consistent jurisprudence of the ECJ and in particular the Placanica ruling of 6 March 2007. This decision is in line with the ruling of the Cour de Cassation, France’s Supreme Court, in the Zeturf case of 10 July 2007, with which it is fully in line. The French Supreme Court quashed a decision of the Court of Appeal which condemned private operator Zeturf in proceedings brought by the PMU.
Sigrid Ligné, Secretary General of the EGBA comments: “We are delighted with this decision. It is an important one and comes in the general context of the commitment taken by the French authorities to propose a controlled opening of the French gaming market by March 2008.”
Post a Comment