Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee
The UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill was introduced on 12 March 2025. The Bill and its accompanying documents are available online.
On 18 March 2025 the Bureau agreed to recommend to the Parliament that the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture (CEEAC) Committee ("the Committee") be designated as lead committee in consideration of the Bill at Stage 1.
The Committee took evidence on the Bill from the Scottish Government Bill Team on 8 May 2025, and from the Minister for Business and Employment and Scottish Government officials on 26 June 2025.
Following the evidence session on 8 May, the Bill Team wrote to the Committee to provide additional information on the Bill. Officials wrote to the Committee again with further information following the 26 June evidence session. The Committee also received written submissions on the Bill from the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Human Rights Commission. Police Scotland provided additional information following the 8 May and 26 June evidence sessions, and UEFA provided written submissions regarding street trading and ticketing.
The Committee wishes to sincerely thank all those who provided oral and written evidence on the Bill.
The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has published a briefing on the Bill, which is available to view online.
The Bill establishes commercial rights protections in line with UEFA’s requirements for hosting EURO 2028 matches in Scotland. EURO 2028 will be co-hosted by the UK and Ireland, with the matches held in Scotland due to take place at Hampden Park in Glasgow. There will also be at least one official UEFA fan zone in Glasgow.
The Bill bans certain commercial activities from taking place in relation to the UEFA European Football Championship that is to be held, in part, in Glasgow. The Bill will ban:
the unauthorised sale of Championship tickets for more than the face value or with a view to making a profit
unauthorised street trading within an event zone at a prohibited time during the Championship period
unauthorised advertising within an event zone at a prohibited time during the Championship period.
The Bill will also:
create criminal offences for ticket touting, and for unauthorised street trading and advertising
give powers to enforce the advertising, street trading and ticket touting offences
create a criminal offence of obstructing enforcement officers in their duties, such as not giving information when asked to
ensure Glasgow City Council publishes guidance on trading and advertising within event zones and offers alternative trading arrangements to affected street traders.
The Bill will be automatically repealed on 31 December 2028.
In evidence, the Bill team stated that EURO 2028 constitutes an opportunity for Scotland to generate economic and social benefits. They highlighted that the responses received to the Scottish Government’s consultation “demonstrated general support for the proposed measure to safeguard commercial rights for EURO 2028.”1
The Minister highlighted in evidence that hosting the UEFA Championship will enable Scotland to enhance its reputation “as a trusted international partner and as a destination that delivers not only for fans and athletes but for communities and businesses, too.” He noted that the projected economic impact of the tournament is expected to be up to £2.6 billion, and that the impact of the benefits gained from the tournament will be spread across Scotland, thereby furthering a number of National Outcomes.2
The Committee’s predecessor Committee undertook scrutiny of the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill. The Bill was laid in advance of the EURO 2020 Championship, which took place in 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The predecessor Committee heard in evidence that the Scottish Government brought forward primary legislation because existing legislation was not sufficient to meet UEFA’s requirements for Championship matches to be held in Scotland.
The need for legislation to underpin the hosting of individual major events in Scotland was raised in a range of evidence received by the predecessor Committee on the 2020 legislation. The predecessor Committee heard that general events legislation may be more appropriate for dealing with some issues, such as ticket touting. The Scottish Police Federation stated to the predecessor Committee—
we recognise the strength of large brands such as UEFA, FIFA, the Olympics and the Commonwealth games, but it seems a peculiar approach to consider that our legislation to protect day-to-day image rights is not sufficiently robust to do the job when the big boys come to town. If we have weaknesses, we should address them in a substantive way rather than in a way that involves periodically coming up with sticking plasters – if that is an appropriate descriptor – when large-scale events come around.1
In its Stage 1 report on the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill, the predecessor Committee recommended that any weaknesses in devolved legislation should be addressed in a substantive manner rather than in a piecemeal fashion in response to hosting individual major events. It considered that the Scottish Government should consider developing an events framework bill following formal evaluation of the operation of UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill.1
The policy memorandum for the Bill states that “a more general piece of legislation could create a consistent framework for applying rights protections, where these are required, to mega events that Scotland successfully bids for.” This, it states, would provide greater assurance of adequate legal protections to rights holders, thereby potentially improving the chances of future bids being successful.
However, the policy memorandum states that there is uncertainty regarding the number and frequency of rights holders that would seek protections through framework legislation for mega events. It also notes that event-specific Bills enable legislation to be tailored to each event, and limit provisions to specified times and places.
In evidence, the Committee asked whether consideration had been given to introduce the draft legislation as a framework Bill to allow similar conditions to be implemented for future championships. The Bill team responded that framework legislation had been considered, but a standalone Bill was better for EURO 2028 given the lack of a clear request for framework legislation in response to consultation and the timescale restrictions in place (UEFA’s request for the legislation to be in place by summer 2026).3
The Committee reiterates our predecessor Committee’s recommendation that weaknesses in devolved legislation should be addressed in a substantive manner rather than in a piecemeal fashion in response to hosting individual major events. An events framework bill could create a consistent framework for applying rights protections and address common issues relating to major events (such as ticket touting), and subordinate legislation could fulfil event-specific requirements. We therefore uphold our predecessor Committee’s recommendation that the Scottish Government should give serious consideration to developing an events framework bill to support the hosting of future major events in Scotland.
Sections 2 to 5 of the Bill set out provisions related to the ban on ticket touting. The Bill states that it is an offence to tout a Championship ticket. Ticket touting involves a ticket being exchanged either for a value exceeding face value, or with a view to making a profit.
UEFA's written submission to the Committee stated that—
UEFA’s ticketing terms and conditions prohibit unauthorised resale; whilst tickets can be resold to friends or family members for the face value of the ticket, UEFA prohibits tickets being offered for sale or transfer, including online.1
The Committee requests clarification from the Scottish Government as to whether it will be legal under the Bill to resell a ticket online at face value.
In evidence, the Committee asked Scottish Government officials how online ticket touting will be policed. Scottish Government officials responded that the online element to ticket touting has increased in recent years, and that this online aspect can be considered by Police Scotland as part of its operational enforcement. In its additional information to the Committee, Police Scotland explained that—
Instances of ticket touting online related to the UEFA EURO 2028 tournament reported to Police Scotland would be reviewed and subsequent enquiry directed by the tournament crime lead (assigned by Police Scotland) in conjunction with the police licensing unit. The designation of investigation and possible enforcement would be allocated based on a number of criteria. For example, the value, scale and location of the suspected offence, and in liaison with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).1
The 2020 legislation set out that ticket touting offences could be committed outside of Scotland. However, the Bill team confirmed in evidence that the extraterritorial element has been removed for this Bill, and ticket touting offences will now apply only in Scotland. The Bill team explained that this change from the 2020 legislation arose following engagement with Police Scotland and the UK Government, as such a broad application of extraterritoriality did not meet the threshold for the offences contained in the Bill.2
The Committee questioned whether the territorial aspect of the Bill’s ticket touting offence will be sufficient given the prevalence of online ticket touting, which could take place outside of Scotland, therefore falling outwith the scope of the offence set out in the Bill. The Bill team responded that the Scottish Government is working with the governments of other host nations with regard to the ticket touting measures that will be in place.2
The additional information provided by the Bill team following the 8 May evidence session outlines the current legislative approaches being taken by other host nations in relation to ticket touting and related enforcement. It explains that:
The UK Government is currently working through how it will deliver UEFA’s requirements, “including in relation to extraterritorial jurisdiction, taking into account the approach taken in previous sporting event legislation and recent legislation relating to the provision of online services.” The UK Government will “continue to work collaboratively with Government partners as this develops.”
The Welsh Government does not at present intend to introduce primary legislation but will collaborate with the UK Government to ensure UEFA’s requirements are met.
The Northern Ireland Executive is not currently considering bringing specific legislation forward but will collaborate with the UK Government “to ensure any commitments under their control are met.”
The Government of Ireland indicated that “in Ireland, the Sale of Tickets (Cultural, Entertainment, Recreational and Sporting Events) Act 2021 (the Act) prohibits the sale or advertising for sale of tickets or ticket packages for a price exceeding their original sale price for events taking place in designated venues and for designated events. … The provisions of the Act do not apply outside of Ireland.”4
In evidence, the Committee asked the Minister whether a UK-wide approach to ticket touting restrictions and a single standard law could have been adopted given the potential extraterritorial aspects of ticket touting, specifically online touting. The Minister explained that the issues covered by the Bill are devolved and stated that the Scottish Government has its “own demands from UEFA to put in place legislation”. The Minister confirmed that the Scottish Government will engage with the UK Government regarding the enforcement of measures relating to online ticket touting.5
The Bill grants exceptions to the ticket touting offences for UEFA. The Committee requested further clarification as to the purpose of this exemption. The Minister told the Committee that, for the purpose of the Bill, touting is understood to be “selling a ticket for a profit” and that, as UEFA will be selling tickets for a profit, “for clarity and for legal purposes, it is important to make sure that UEFA is exempt.”1
In written evidence, UEFA stated that the exemption is not intended “to allow UEFA or any persons working for UEFA to ‘tout’ tickets.”2 Additional information provided by Scottish Government officials following the evidence session with the Minister explained that—
As far as the Bill is concerned, selling a Championship ticket at profit falls within the description of ticket touting. UEFA invest almost all of their revenue back into football, but they do make a profit from ticket sales. … Therefore, UEFA need to be exempted from the offence to sell tickets in the first place, otherwise no match tickets could be sold legally in Scotland. … The exemption does not automatically exempt individual UEFA officials from the touting offence and is not about UEFA granting approval for any individual UEFA officials, or any other officials to tout tickets.3
The Bill includes an exemption to the ticket touting offences should a ticket be sold for auction either by a charity, or by any person where the proceeds of the sale are given to charity. The Bill defines a charity as a body registered in the Scottish Charities Register (OSCR), or a register corresponding to OSCR. If the territory where the charity operates does not have a register, then the purpose of the charity must cover one of the charity purposes mentioned in Section 7(2) of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.
Following questions from the Committee regarding the exemptions for OSCR-registered charities included in the Bill, the Bill team stated that they “considered where it would be appropriate to draw the boundaries around about that exemption”. They explained that the intention of the charities exemption is not to incentivise charity ticket auctions, as those tickets would breach UEFA’s ticketing terms and conditions, meaning that there would be a risk that those tickets would be invalid for entry.1
Sections 6 to 11 of the Bill set out provisions relating to the ban on street trading, stating that it will be an offence to trade within the event zone during a prohibited time. The Bill states that Glasgow City Council must offer alternative trading arrangements to existing street traders during the times when the trading offence applies and must also publish guidance about trading within event zones. The Bill includes a number of exemptions to the trading offences, including activity undertaken by Glasgow City Council or Glasgow Life, activity undertaken by a UEFA partner, or for certain charitable collections.
In its written submission to the Committee, UEFA states that hosting authorities have an “obligation to plan, resource and implement a rights protection programme in collaboration with UEFA”. One of the key objectives of this rights protection programme, it explains, is to “protect the exclusive nature of the rights granted to UEFA’s official partners who provide significant funding for the Tournament and the football eco-system in Europe more generally”.1
UEFA's submission notes that “the licensing of official merchandise and the granting of food and beverage concessions are two of UEFA’s key revenue streams and the commercial value of such rights is dependent on the level of exclusivity that UEFA can offer its partners.” As such, it states, “a high volume of unauthorised street trading activities in and immediately around Event Zones undermines the value of the rights granted by UEFA” and would impact UEFA’s ability to secure such partners and generate revenues for reinvestment into football.1
As such, hosting authorities are required (during tournament time and within the event zone) to:
ensure that there are effective measures to protect and enforce against unauthorised street trading (of merchandise and food and beverage)
procure that the relevant authorities in the host cities (including, to the extent required, city authorities, police, public prosecutors or courts, customs and the IP and trade mark office) are enabled and empowered to comprehensively protect UEFA and its commercial partners against unauthorised and infringing activities
provide a commitment not to grant temporary/permanent licences in relation to the undertaking of any activities that could result in street selling
take all reasonable measures to prohibit, restrict and prevent unauthorised street trading (including the removal of all existing (temporary) sellers)
The Committee raised concerns about the impact of trading restrictions on street traders, noting that the Bill’s provisions make no mention of compensation for affected businesses. The Bill team responded that—
The reality is that one of UEFA’s requirements for hosting matches at Hampden is that only UEFA-approved traders can trade at Hampden and any other event zones. I would not say that street traders would require compensation because this opportunity is in addition to what they could usually expect in any other year.3
The Bill team went on to state that the rights of street traders had been carefully considered, and that that is why the Bill requires Glasgow City Council to offer alternative arrangements to affected street traders. These alternative arrangements, they explained, may include “offering alternative locations, in which the council has said that it would waive any temporary licence fee required.” The Bill team also suggested that further engagement with street traders could support discussions about any other alternative arrangements that might be appropriate.3
The Bill team acknowledged that the legislation “is not particularly accessible or easy for businesses to understand, especially for small businesses that … do not have a lot of time to understand the detail.” They stated—
That is why it is really important that there are also provisions in the bill that will require Glasgow City Council to publish guidance on the measures in a format that is understandable for businesses. Glasgow City Council has indicated that it will make that guidance available in different formats, including accessible formats, for those who are looking to understand how the measures will affect them.3
The Bill team also explained that, as street trading licences last for three years, Glasgow City Council will have the opportunity to communicate the impact of the EURO 2028 events on trading licences issued from summer 2025 onward. They stated that, “when street traders apply, it will be clear that they will not be allowed to trade during the dates and times around the championships”.3
The Committee is concerned that the restrictions on street trading included in the Bill may negatively impact street traders. As such, the Committee will write to UEFA to establish whether it has undertaken any impact assessment on the potential loss of revenue for affected street traders and, if so, whether any consideration has been given to offering these traders compensation for lost revenues.
The Committee will write to Glasgow City Council requesting further detail regarding how it will ensure that restrictions on street trading will be adequately communicated to street traders, and how any negative impact on street traders which may arise as a result of the Bill’s provisions will be minimised.
The Committee invites the Bill Team to provide an update on what further engagement the Scottish Government will undertake with street traders regarding other alternative arrangements that might be appropriate for the duration of the tournament.
The Bill states that, “where permission is given by the occupier (or another person with the authority to do so), an enforcement officer may, without warrant, enter any place and may search any place (and any vehicle, vessel, container or other thing at that place)—
(a) where the officer reasonably believes a Championship offence has been or is being committed, or
(b) which the officer reasonably believes has been or is being used in connection with a Championship offence.”
The Committee asked the Bill team whether the expansion of enforcement powers to council officers could risk the unnecessary violation of privacy rights. The Bill team highlighted that, though the Bill enables an enforcement officer to enter and search any place without a warrant where permission is given by the occupier (or another person with the authority to do so), this “does not authorise an enforcement officer to ... search an individual, or ... access data stored electronically.” The Bill team further explained that electronic devices could potentially be seized and could, as a last resort, be destroyed, and that this power could be exercised by council officers or the police.1
However, Police Scotland clarified that—
officers detecting offences relating to the Euro 2028 legislation whereby they are required to seize the item(s) for evidential purposes, will not destroy said item(s) unless directed by the COPFS or unless the electronic/digital item cannot be safely stored.2
The Bill’s provisions allow an enforcement officer to enter and search a place without permission or a warrant if “there is a real and substantial risk that delay in seeking a warrant would defeat or prejudice the purpose of taking action”. The Bill team explained that decisions to use this power could only be taken by police officers3 and the Policy Memorandum highlights that “there are no circumstances in which a house can be entered without permission or warrant.”
The letter from the Bill team explains that the ability to undertake quick action is a requirement of UEFA for certain areas of commercial rights protection. The letter notes several comparable Acts passed by the Scottish Parliament, stating that—
in each of these cases, the offences in question do not relate to matters of life and death. Rather, the powers are framed to allow entry without a warrant only in circumstances where urgency is a factor - specifically, where waiting to obtain a warrant could frustrate enforcement action.4
In evidence, Scottish Government officials stated that “Police Scotland is used to exercising those operational judgements under other pieces of legislation” and noted that a safeguard exists which prevents a police officer to enter a dwelling without a warrant.1 In its submission to the Committee, Police Scotland further explained that—
Police Scotland officers would seek authority from senior event command to force entry to any premises without warrant, any decision of authority would recorded and based on police powers of entry without warrant at Common Law.2
The Committee notes that the Bill’s provisions allow an enforcement officer to enter and search a place without permission or a warrant if “there is a real and substantial risk that delay in seeking a warrant would defeat or prejudice the purpose of taking action”. We seek clarification as to what criteria must be met to qualify such a risk as “real and substantial”.
In evidence, the Committee asked the Minister what steps the Scottish Government will take to ensure that those enforcing the offences created in the Bill will exercise their duties in a manner that is compatible with human rights. The Minister noted that the Scottish Government undertook various human rights assessments prior to the Bill’s publication, and also highlighted that the enforcement powers included in the Bill are time-limited. The Minister stated that—
We have done our best to strike a balance. The powers are relatively similar to those in the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Act 2020, but there are requirements that we have to meet as a host nation for Euro 2028, and that is the purpose of the bill.1
In its submission to the Committee, the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) recommended that, though the Bill gives powers to enforcement officers who are not police officers, the Scottish Government should make clear that, under the Human Rights Act 1998, those enforcing offences under this legislation are bound by the same legal obligation to respect human rights by carrying out their duties.2
The Bill’s restrictions intend to protect the commercial rights of UEFA and of its official partners. One way in which the Bill aims to achieve this is by preventing “ambush marketing”, which the policy memorandum describes as—
a strategy where a company tries to gain attention or publicity by associating with a major event, such as EURO 2028, without officially sponsoring it. The company creates marketing activities that appear connected to the event, even though it has no official ties.
In evidence, the Committee asked the Minister whether the provisions in the Bill relating to ambush marketing intend to capture actions that are commercial in nature, rather than preventing actions such as protests. The Minister explained that the Bill intends to safeguard against the exploitation of commercial opportunities associated with the tournament and highlighted that protests are protected and subject to existing legislation, and that there is a particular exemption in the Bill regarding protests.1
The SHRC’s submission suggested that Glasgow City Council should be required to “monitor and report on … human rights impacts” following the tournament. With regard to this suggestion, Scottish Government officials confirmed that this requirement is not currently set out in the Bill and committed to engaging with Glasgow City Council to ascertain what may be possible.2
The Committee believes that a clear distinction must be drawn between activity with a commercial purpose, where restrictions may be justified, and activity with a social or political purpose where restrictions are not justified even if commercial brands are affected or targeted. We invite the Scottish Government to respond.
The Committee recommends that the Scottish Government should work with Glasgow City Council to monitor and report on any human rights impacts arising from the Bill’s provisions following the tournament. The Committee would welcome an update on the Scottish Government’s engagement with Glasgow City Council on this matter.
The Delegated Powers and Law Reform (DPLR) Committee considered the delegated powers in the Bill at its meeting on 3 June 2025 and reported its conclusions on 5 June 2025. The DPLR Committee agreed that the delegated powers in the Bill are appropriate in principle.
The Finance and Public Administration (FPA) Committee ran a call for views on the Bill’s Financial Memorandum (FM). The call for views ran from 30 April to 28 May 2025 and received one submission from Police Scotland. The FPA Committee agreed to forward the submission received to the CEEAC Committee and to take no further action.
In its submission to the FPA Committee Police Scotland stated that the estimated costs in the FM relating to Police Scotland are accurate and reasonable. The submission highlights that, as the estimated costs are based on 2024-25 salary costs and inflation and as pay award changes over the next 3-years are unknown, “it would be fair to assume the cost given would be higher as a result of these by the time of the event.”1
The Committee supports the general principles of the Bill.
UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill:
The Committee took evidence on the Bill at Stage 1 from —
Rachael McKechnie, Deputy Director, Major Events,
Lucy Carmichael, Head of EURO 2028 Unit and
Ninian Christie, Legal Directorate, Scottish Government.
UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill:
The Committee took evidence from—
Richard Lochhead, Minister for Business and Employment,
Lucy Carmichael, Head of Events Strategy and Delivery and
Ninian Christie, Lawyer, Scottish Government.
UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill(In Private):
The Committee considered the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill stage 1 draft report and agreed to consider a further draft at a future meeting.
UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill(In Private):
The Committee considered and agreed the UEFA European Championship (Scotland) Bill stage 1 draft report.