Advertising self-regulation gains strength in new EU

09 May 2005

Self-regulation in advertising is gaining greater importance in the EU’s newest markets, research published this week suggests. The European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), in the fourth edition of its ‘Blue Book’, reports that by the time the newest ten countries acceded to the European Union in 2004, four (Hungary, the Czech and Slovak Republics and Slovenia) had already established self-regulation for advertising. Lithuania and Poland will have operational self regulatory systems in place by mid-2005, while Cyprus, Latvia and Estonia are set to follow suit by the end of the year.

In the book’s foreword, European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection Markos Kyprianou salutes the work of EASA “which has been responding to the challenges of enlargement by developing European-wide best practices and bridging the existing gaps between Member States.” 

Effective self-regulation, with a ‘legal backstop’, is widely viewed as the most efficient way of policing advertising for consumers and for business.

The Blue Book – officially known as Advertising self-regulation in Europe – is published every three years as a resource for advertising professionals requiring details of advertising rules in European and further-afield markets. In addition to a country by-country analysis of statutory and self regulatory rules, the 2005 edition includes information on current high-profile issues like advertising to children and the promotion of food and alcohol.

Click here for more information on the book and details of how to order a copy.