Opinion of the European Central Bank of 12 June 2008 at the request of the Slovak Ministry of Finance on a draft decree laying down the scope of prices, payments and other amounts subject to dual display with regard to the field of gambling games and methods of their dual display (CON/2008/25)
Date: 2008-06-12
Institutions: European Central Bank
Subjects: Slovakia, game of chance, monetary integration, money, national law

EN 

OPINION OF THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK 

of 12 June 2008 

at the request of the Slovak Ministry of Finance  

on a draft decree laying down the scope of prices, payments and other amounts subject to dual 

display with regard to the field of gambling games and methods of their dual display 

(CON/2008/25) 

Introduction and legal basis 

On  27  May  2008  the  European  Central  Bank  (ECB)  received  a  request  from  the  Slovak  Ministry  of 

Finance for an opinion on a draft decree laying down the scope of prices, payments and other amounts 

subject  to  dual  display  with  regard  to  the  field  of  gambling  games  and  methods  of  their  dual  display 

(hereinafter the ‘draft decree’). 

The  ECB’s  competence  to  deliver  an  opinion  is  based  on  Article  105(4)  of  the  Treaty  establishing  the 

European Community and the first and second indents of Article 2(1) of Council Decision 98/415/EC of 

29  June  1998  on  the  consultation  of  the  European  Central  Bank  by  national  authorities  regarding  draft 
legislative  provisions1,  as  the  draft  decree  relates  to  currency  matters  and  means  of  payment.  In 

accordance  with 

the 

first  sentence  of  Article 17.5  of 

the  Rules  of  Procedure  of 

the 

European Central Bank, the Governing Council has adopted this opinion. 

1.  

Purpose of the draft decree 

The draft decree, which constitutes secondary legislation implementing primary legislation, and is based 

on  Article  18(10)(a)(5)  of  Law  No  659/2007  Coll.  on  the  introduction  of  the  euro  in  Slovakia  and 

including  amendments  to  certain  laws  (hereinafter  the  ‘Slovak  Euro-Law’),  provides  for  technical 

instructions  on  the  dual  display  of  certain  prices,  payments  and  other  amounts  in  the  gambling  games 

sector. 

2. 

General observations 

The ECB notes that the draft decree is based on an enabling provision contained in the Slovak Euro-Law 

pursuant  to  which  detailed  technical  implementing  measures  may  be  adopted  to  facilitate  a  smooth 

1  

OJ L 189, 3.7.1998, p. 42.  

 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
changeover  to  the  euro.  The  ECB  has  assessed  the  Slovak  Euro-Law  in  Opinion  CON/2007/432. 
Furthermore, ECB Opinion CON/2008/233 assessed the issue of dual display in Slovakia in more detail.  

In  line  with  the  Commission  Recommendation  of  10  January  2008  on  measures  to  facilitate  future 
changeovers to the euro4, published following adoption of the Slovak Euro-Law, the ECB reiterates that 

mandatory  dual  display  should  become  effective  as  soon  as  possible  after  official  adoption  of  the 

irrevocably fixed conversion rate between the national currency and the euro by the Council. The Slovak 

Euro-Law  provides  for  mandatory  dual  display  to  start  one  month  after  the  conversion  rate  is  adopted, 
while also allowing for voluntary dual display both in advance of and following the mandatory period5. 

Taking into account the Slovak Euro-Law and the Commission Recommendation, the parties concerned 

should  be  encouraged  to  apply  the  draft  decree  in  this  regard  from  the  date  of  official  adoption  of  the 

conversion rate. 

3. 

Specific observations 

The ECB has no specific observations on the draft decree. 

This opinion will be published on the ECB’s website. 

Done at Frankfurt am Main, 12 June 2008. 

[signed] 

The Vice-President of the ECB 

Lucas PAPADEMOS 

2  

3  

4  
5  

ECB Opinion CON/2007/43 of 19 December 2007 at the request of the Slovak Ministry of Finance on a draft law on the 
introduction of the euro in Slovakia and on amendments to certain laws. 
ECB Opinion CON/2008/23 of 30 May 2008 at the request of Národná banka Slovenska on a draft decree laying down 
rules for the dual display of certain prices, payments and other amounts and on a draft decree laying down the number of 
decimal places of certain types of securities for the purpose of rounding by redenomination of their nominal value from 
the Slovak currency to the euro. 
Recommendation 2008/78/EC (notified under document number C(2007)6912), OJ L 23, 26.1.2008, p. 30. 
Article 18(1) of the Slovak Euro-Law reads: ‘The period of dual display during which simultaneous dual display in the 
Slovak currency and the euro is implemented on a mandatory basis, in the established relevant scope of prices, payments 
and  other  amounts  and  in  accordance  with  other  stipulated  rules,  shall  begin  one  month  following  the  date  when  the 
conversion rate is fixed and shall end one year following the euro introduction date. Voluntary dual display may, under 
the stipulated rules, be implemented more broadly than in the mandatory scope of dual display; voluntary dual display 
may also be implemented, under the stipulated rules, outside the mandatory period of dual display but from the date of 
fixing the conversion rate at the earliest.’ 

2