Beer producers enraged over expansion of alcohol ads ban

For the second time in the past two weeks the Sejm is to discuss a total ban on advertising alcohol. If passed, the new bill would extend the current ban on advertising alcohol by alcohol producers to distributors and to entities using trade marks, visual or sound elements connected with alcohol, irrespective of the form and the way they present them. However, it would not extend the ban to companies registered abroad. "Foreign producers' commercials are present everywhere on TV and the internet. However, politicians only want to forbid advertising alcohol for domestic producers only," said beer-producers' spokesman Andrzej Dlugosz. Beer companies are threatening to circumvent the law by registering their companies abroad. The new regulation also plans to change the definition of what constitutes an alcoholic beverage, defining every beverage containing 0.5 % or more of alcohol as an intoxicating drink. Analysts are warning the introduction of the bill may lead to the lay-off of up to 14,000 people working in alcohol-advertising. The issue is scheduled for debate in the Sejm on June 28 and June 30. (Puls Biznesu, page 4) J.K.