Sejm passes Landscape Act

The Lower Chamber of the Parliament has passed the Landscape Act aimed at regulating the presence of advertisements in public space. The law gives tools to communities to deal with the issue.

As many as 236 MPs voted for, 183 MPs were against, while 7 abstained.

The draft of the act was submitted to the Sejm by President Bronisław Komorowski one and a half year ago. It defines the terms "signage", "landscape", "cultural landscape" and "landscape priority", among others.

MP Iwona Śledzińska-Katarasińska described the law as revolutionary. "If we think seriously about protecting the landscape, we have to introduce some prohibitions and orders, as well as incur costs," she said.

According to her, the act is the first attempt to comprehensively regulate the matter of advertisements in public space. It is also a first step to meet the criteria outlined in the European Landscape Convention.