Euro MPs allow spamming to slip through the Net

The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee has voted down an amendment which would have banned unsolicited email from being sent among EU member states.

Graham Watson, the UK MEP who authored the amendment, said businesses would be the losers if direct marketers were allowed continue sending spam email. His amendment would have banned all forms of unsolicited email used to make money - including charities asking for contributions.

The provision is part of the Parliament's Ecommerce Bill, which will be put to a full vote in Strasbourg in two weeks time.

Some EU countries, like Germany, which already ban spam will be forced to change their laws if the bill goes ahead.

George Gardiner, solicitor at law firm Tarlo Lyons, explained that the EU is considering several workarounds at the moment, such as forcing bulk emailers to add a non-misleading subject line and clearly identifying the sender. Possibly marketers would be allowed to send only one email - to ask for consent to send others.

Watson concurred: "A Finnish MEP tabled an amendment that allows for national lists to be drawn up of people who don't want to receive unsolicited email and marketers would be expected to follow that.

"That would help countries who have a ban in place already," he explained. "But I will be writing a letter to every MEP in advance of the vote to ask for their support in a total ban."