Michel Barnier Relinquishes EU Online Gambling Responsibility to Günther Oettinger
Key Takeaways
  • Former EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger has been given the online gambling portfolio in the newly announced EU Commission.
  • The EU Commission is required to review and approve national gambling legislation proposals and has the power to institute infringement proceedings against countries whose laws do not comply with EU treaties.
  • The Commissioner will wield substantial power over online gaming in Europe.

As the EU Internal Market and Services Commissioner, Michel Barnier was the champion of an EU wide framework for regulating online gambling. A new Commission has now been appointed and the online gambling responsibility now goes to Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, Günther Oettinger.

Oettinger was the former Minister-President of the state of Baden-Württemberg and was a Chairman of the state’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) Party. Until the latest appointment held the position of EU Commissioner for Energy. The CDU is the German center right political party led by Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Oettinger’s appointment came as a surprise to some.