British news websites liable abroad for invasion of privacy

In many ways it is a surprise that it has taken this long: Mirror Group Newspapers and Associated Newspapers have been found guilty in France of invasion of privacy for stories on their respective newspaper websites about Kylie Minogue and her ex, Olivier Martinez. Martinez was awarded €4,500 per publication. Although it is in my view wholly predictable that this would happen, it does create a significant chill on media freedom in the UK: with pretty much every newspaper now publishing on-line, French privacy laws, which are notoriously stricter than the British, may well now set the standard. I don't believe this is a good thing - particularly with the Mosley cases pending in the French courts... Something to consider in the European Commission's pending review of the scope of the Rome II Convention?