Commissioner Frattini last year called for the EU to take measures to curb the sale of violent games to minors (EurActiv 22/11/06). On 16 January 2007, he urged ministers meeting in Dresden to agree "to share best practices" on curbing the sale of such games to children.
Previously, Frattini had suggested that EU ministers adopt EU-wide labeling rules for such games and create a voluntary code of conduct on interactive games targeted at children. Such labels could include age restrictions and parental advisory warnings, however EU officials have said it would be left up to national authorities to decide on how tough the measures should be.
"I do want to harmonise rules ... punishing people illegally selling products, people not controlling and checking identity," Frattini told journalists.
He added that current EU-wide controls were insufficient and that too often retailers failed to check the age of children buying games clearly labelled as restricted to ages 16 and over.
Frattini said that he would table a proposal to justice ministers before the summer break on harmonising sanctions for retailers, but not touch on which games should be forbidden.
"We cannot judge from Brussels which videogames should be prohibited," he told reporters.
Frattini's call is being backed by EU Presidency holder Germany, which placed the issue on the agenda of 16 January 2007 for the second and final day of EU meetings in Dresden. The UK, Greece, Finland, Spain and France also back EU co-ordination on the issue.
A spur to Frattini's and German ministers' calls for action was provided in November last year, when 18-year-old Sebastian Bosse stormed his former school Geschwister Scholl in Emsdetten near the Dutch border, killing five people and wounding 32 others with a firearm before committing suicide. Bosse was allegedly a fan of violent computer games; authorities blamed his attack on the teenager's hobby, prompting calls for games to be restricted or banned.
Retailers in many European nations are currently not forced to restrict the sale of violent games to adults.
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