The European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) alongside 15 counterpart trade associations, has called to ensure that the European Union maintains its Digital Services Act (DSA) as a “workable, balanced and future-proof legislation”.
Sponsored by theb in 2020, the DSA plans to update the EU’s legislature on digital commerce. It is designed to create a level playing field for businesses operating in “content, products, services and activities on intermediary services”.
In response to the Commission, European trade bodies representing start-ups, SMEs, technology, advertising, digital, and media organisations have called on European Parliament members (MEPs) to ensure that European digital services are protected by a robust regulatory framework.
The EGBA has backed a joint letter sent to the European Parliament, urging the DSA to maintain its “horizontal approach proposed by the European Commission”.
Trade bodies have raised concerns that MEPs debates have diverted attention from creating a balanced approach for the DSA to operate within sector-specific boundaries/
The safeguarding of the DSA’s intended format has been outlined as key to building core pillars of the ‘e-Commerce Directive’ to preserve the EU’s country of origin principle, the ban on general monitoring, and the conditional liability exemption for hosting providers.
MEPs should focus on establishing a “workable framework”, applicable to many different types of digital services, in which business incumbents by a “balanced and future-proofed DSA”.
Back in October, European Lotteries, an umbrella organisation for national lotteries across Europe, insisted that the EU Council exclude explicit mention of online gambling and betting services from the DSA.
The organisation stressed that the mention of online gambling within the context of freedom of establishment is inaccurate.