EC drops plan for alcohol ad ban

EUROPEAN Commission President Romano Prodi has ruled out any ban on alcohol advertising in the media. There have been growing fears that EC Health Commissioner David Byrne wanted a crackdown on drinks advertising.

But Prodi told a delegation of leading European publishers in Strasbourg last week that the commission had no intention of introducing such a ban.

Members of the European Publishers' Association, which represents 29 chairmen of top European media organisations, have become increasingly concerned over the growing number of EU directives that affect the media's ability to carry advertising.

In the last two years there have been proposals on nutritional and health claims, portrayal of women in advertising and a possible ban on alcohol advertising.

Hubert Burda, president of the Magazine Publishers of Germany, said: 'The object of the meeting was to highlight to the commissioners that when the European Union introduces new proposals for legislation which either constrains the media's ability to remain competitive or chips away at the freedom to communicate with their readers, the diversity and independence of the media is severely diminished.'

During the meeting Prodi also agreed that he would appoint a commissioner to deal with the concerns of the media and advertising industry.