27 countries of the EU have ratified definitely the agreement that they reached with the European Parliament on the new board of audio-visual services, call of Television Without Borders

This supposes a major liberalization of the insertion of publicity in the programming, although it restricts another form of announcement: the laying of product, which in general terms will only be allowed in movies, series and sports spaces.

The Council of Culture and of the Audio-visual thing has closed an agreement that supports practically without changes the terms of the consensus that reached the member states in November of last year. Since then, the text was sent to the European Parliament, which in the first reading introduced some tones, like the relative one to the regulatory organisms independent from the audio-visual companies and also of the Government.

In spite of the intention of the Euro Parliament and of the European Commission of making obligatory the creation of this type of entities in 27 member states, the agreement refers to them simply like optional river beds that can have the countries at the time of informing the Commission of the application of this board.

Since it refers to the publicity, the commitment reaching between the Parliament and the Advice establishes that in case of movies, telefilmes, you programme for children and informative only advertizing cuts will be able to be inserted once every 30 minutes. For the rest of programs it is liberalized completely, although there is supported the maximum limit of 12 minutes of announcements per hour.

As for the products laying, this practice is prohibited as a rule, except for movies, series and sports spaces. Nevertheless, every state can choose to be more restrictive. At first and at the end of a program that it contains 'product placement' a special sign will have to appear, except if the chain that expresses it does not have any responsibility in the same one, either his branches.

The final commitment recognizes also the beginning of fatherland, what means that there will be applied the rules of the country in which there is placed the provider of the audio-visual services, although a series of control panel is foreseen to avoid abuses. Sweden, Austria or the Baltic countries were especially reticent to this measurement.

The agreement was reached finally by unanimity and there was added to him the possibility of creating a "reinforced cooperation", so that the countries that they have contentious relative to the application of the beginning of fatherland in the audio-visual field will have the opportunity them to try to settle before be denouncing before the Court of Justice of the EU.


(24/05/07)