EU: Greek case mired in bureaucracy

A highly sensitive infringement case concerning the regulations in Greece banning toy advertising on TV is becoming bogged down in bureaucratic delaying tactics, now that the Commission has decided – in an extraordinary departure from the established procedure – to conduct a period of consultation on public issues raised by advertising targeted at children and by legislation in this field, before deciding whether to continue proceedings against Greece.

Before taking a decision on the Greek case the Commission says it wishes to determine

• whether the effects of advertising for toys are more harmful for children than advertising for sweets or comics
• to what extent has the ban on advertising has led advertisers to transfer their marketing budgets to other techniques, such as gifts and promotions
• whether the measure plays against the objective sought. The Commission notes (as the Advertising Information Group had pointed out) that the number and quality of Greek television programmes for children has fallen as a consequence of the fall in advertising revenue.