The Newspaper Society (NS) is lobbying against two proposed pieces of legislation. “Both could introduce stringent privacy legislation which would effectively halt investigative reporting and gag the media unless urgent action is taken to introduce press exemptions,” said the NS. The Human Rights Bill and the Data Protection Bill “will strike at the heart of… Continue reading UK: NS Campaigns For Press Rights
On the eve of the Health Council meeting in Brussels, the Dutch government has said that “in principle” it will change its position in order to back the Commission proposals to ban tobacco. Greece, Germany and Denmark continue to oppose a full ban, and the UK’s insistence on an exemption for Formula One events has… Continue reading EU: Last-Minute Compromise On Directive?
The European Parliament has adopted the report by Manuel Ortega (PSE) on telecommunications and privacy (ISDN), thus formally approving the draft Directive concerning the handling of personal information and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector.
The UK Advertising Association has written to all 20 European Commissioners, asking them to ensure that the EC pursues infringement complaints relating to marketing and promotion issues. These are the complaints relating to the French Evin Law, the Greek toy advertising ban, and the German law restricting the use of premiums.
United News & Media has received a number of offers for its regional newspaper business, United Provincial Newspapers, which it is looking to sell for the second time in just over a year (subscribers see Significant Interest In UPN Titles).It is thought that the titles, which were taken off the market last year after no… Continue reading UPN Titles Up For Sale – Again
From 1 April 1998 all tobacco advertising on TV and radio will be banned in Japan, following an amendment to the tobacco industry’s voluntary code of practice. The Tobacco Institute of Japan says the ban will also extend to the cinema, outdoor advertising, and the Internet. The practice of distributing free samples to the public… Continue reading JPN: Total Ban From 1998
A French commercial court has banned the state-owned electricity utility Electricite de France (EDF) from broadcasting a television advertisement for nuclear power. It was reported that the French oil industry association, l’Union Francaise des Industries Petrolieres (UFIP), had sued EDF over the advertisement because it contained computer-generated images showing Paris being invaded by oil tankers… Continue reading FR: Court Bans Nuclear TV Ad
The EC has approved a draft action plan intended to promote the safe use of the Internet. It identifies measures that could be supported by the EU to combat illegal and harmful content on information networks. The EC proposes the establishment of European centres enabling users to report illegal content on the Internet, as well… Continue reading EU: Action Plan For Internet
The health policy directorate-general (DGV) of the EC is developing a code for the marketing of “alcopops” in a proposal for a Council Recommendation that aims to restrict alcohol advertising. The code, which EC officials claim should be incorporated on a self-regulatory basis, also includes a provision that governments should consider other options such as… Continue reading EU: EC Develops “Alcopops” Code
Issue 9 of the European Commission’s newsletter Commercial Communications focuses especially on alcohol advertising, with French articles for and against the Evin Law. The article by Armand Hennon, from Entreprise & Prévention, includes the confirmation that the Evin Law has achieved the opposite of what was intended. Hennon reports that since the imposition of the… Continue reading EU: Evin Law Has Opposite Effect
