The Advertising Association (AA) and ISBA have come out in strong support of the European Commission’s (EC) decision to take the French government to court over a law which bans the advertisement of alcoholic beverages.
The industry bodies have welcomed the news, broken on NewsLine on Wednesday (see
The AA’s director of public affairs, Sara Soltani, said: “The AA supports the European Commission wholeheartedly in pursuing this action. The Loi Evin is typical of bans of its type in that it is disproportionate, unjustified and ineffective.”
She added: “The Loi Evin is not only wrong-headed, it constitutes a barrier to the free movement of services and the creation of a true Internal Market for commercial communications. The AA has long lobbied for the removal of such barriers and this decision is a landmark victory in that long campaign.”
ISBA’s director of public affairs, Ian Twinn, said: “The Loi Evin is a barrier to the creation of the single market and therefore contravenes EU law. It has proved itself entirely ineffective in its stated objective of deterring alcohol consumption by the young. Since the law came into force, consumption amongst the young has actually risen.”
The Loi Evin is considered to be one of the most controversial and restrictive measures of its kind in Europe and constitutes a ban on any TV advertising of alcoholic drinks. In implementing the ban the French Government have also banned the re-transmission of sporting events held in countries which allow alcoholic drink sponsorship around the pitch or on the players shirts.
The EC’s decision to challenge the law has been seen by advertisers as the beginning of a drive to ensure that a true internal market can be realised. The industry remains optimistic that the European court of justice will find the law in contravention of EC treaty and call for it to be changed.
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