Romania

[RO] Advertising Act Amended

IRIS 2002-4:1/33

Mariana Stoican

Journalist, Bucharest

On 21 February 2002, the Consiliul National al Audiovizualului (CNA), which monitors the electronic media in Romania, published a Decision "on the amendment and completion of Audiovisual Council Decision no. 65/2000 on the application of rules on advertising, teleshopping and sponsorship in the electronic media". The proposed amendments mainly deal with self-promotion and teleshopping: "Self-promotion is not profitable and is strictly limited to the publicising of certain programmes to be shown by the broadcaster concerned or by any other broadcaster owned by the same licence-holder. It is not included in the maximum time allowed for advertising. [...]

Teleshopping slots are uninterrupted periods of at least 15 minutes during which the purchase or hire of goods and/or performance of services, in return for payment, are advertised directly to the public. [...]

Teleshopping slots may be broadcast between the hours of 12 midnight and 11 am and between 2 pm and 5 pm, except on Sundays and public holidays. They may be broadcast between 12 midnight and 9 am on public holidays.

No more than eight teleshopping slots, totalling a maximum of three hours, may be broadcast in any one day. If a channel broadcasts for less than 24 hours per day, these figures decrease in direct proportion to the number of hours broadcast."