01. 04. 2005

AGAINST THE ADVERTISING TERROR

BELGRADE, April 1, 2005 – One of the most important media legislations – Advertising Act, should enter the Parliamentary procedure in May 2005. Proposer of the legislation, Trade Minister Bojan Dimitrijevic, stressed that the Act would protect manufacturers as well as the advertisers, but primarily the consumers who would be protected from the commercial terrorizing. The Act envisages the prohibition of the tobacco and alcohol advertising. TV viewers would be the first to note the implemented provisions of the Act, since the films, series and sports games would not be interrupted with long commercial breaks as it is now the case, said the Trade Minister. He also said that the false advertising would also be prohibited under the Act, as well as call for boycott, advertising of prohibited symbols and pornographic contents, and display of exertion of force. “We all need to put the advertising space in order, as is practice in other countries in the European Union. All of those who make a living out of advertising would be able to continue doing that, while the citizens would be protected from the terrorizing of the commercials”, said Dimitrijevic. However, lawyer and one of the co-authors of the first model of the Advertising Act Sasa Gajin said that the new draft did not foresee the efficient mechanism of protection of the consumers in case where the advertising violated their rights. “The Advertising Bill does not include the provisions under which one could demand removal of some posters, or prohibition of further poster placement”, said Gajin. The Act, among other things, envisages that the advertising on commercial television stations should be twenty percent of total program broadcasting, while that percentage in the programs of public broadcasters is ten percents. Media representatives mainly support the Bill; however, director of the Belgrade Media Center Nebojsa Spaic believed that this provision, together with some other provisions of the Act, needed to be updated. “If they do not adopt our serious objections, the media industry could end up in crisis.” The Advertising Act has been worked on for two years in cooperation with the Ministry of Health. This Ministry was the main initiator of the regulations which provoked the most objections, mainly of the tobacco and alcohol manufacturers, because it foresees the prohibition of their advertising.