04. 01. 2005

PARLIAMENT TO DEBATE NEW ADVERTISING LEGISLATION

BELGRADE, January 04, 2005 – The Serbian Government’s Advertising bill is to be debated under urgent procedure in the parliament’s first extraordinary session this year. The proposed legislation bans the advertising of tobacco and alcohol products and limits the length of commercial breaks during series and films. “The new legislation will control advertising so that films and series will no longer be interrupted by endless commercials,” said deputy Serbian trade minister Vlajko Senic. “Commercials may be screened during a film if it lasts more than 45 minutes. If this is the case, commercials may be aired every 45 minutes. Commercials may also be aired during the half time of a sporting event, during time out and so on. Television films and series may not be artificially interrupted, meaning that advertising will be permitted only between completely independent segments of a program,” he added. The bill also restricts sexually explicit material to print form, and restricts “hot line” commercials to between midnight and 5.00 a.m. It also stipulates that discounts advertised must actually be available. “As customers we have often been in a situation where we see that there is an eighty per cent discount, but when you go to the shop you discover that it is ten or fifteen per cent with a single product at eighty per cent. This artificial pressure on consumers, to buy under some better conditions which don’t exist, will be absolutely banned and rigorously controlled,” said Senic. The advertising of tobacco and alcohol will be prohibited by the legislation. Advertising of products such as beer will be permitted between 6.00 p.m. and 6.00 a.m. Advertising beer on billboards close to schools will be banned. A large number of advertising agencies and broadcasters have described the bill as unacceptable and also complained that there has been no public dialogue on the issue. Instead, they say, the measures should be introduced progressively. “These prohibitions should be more realistic, more practical, so our profession and the advertising industry may be used properly. For example, if we talk about the campaign against consuming tobacco and alcohol, we ought to take part in raising the awareness of the people and changing their attitude, not just pass prohibitions”, says Vanda Kucer of the advertising agency McCann-Erickson. Fines for not complying with the provisions of the Act could reach 5 million dinars. The Advertising Bill will be amended only by members of the parliament as it has not been made available for public debate.