Lithuania

[LT] Amendments to Rules Advertising of Alcohol

IRIS 2007-8:1/25

Jurgita Iešmantaitė

Radio and Television Commission of Lithuania

On 21 June 2007, the Seimas (Lithuanian Parliament) adopted amendments to the Alkoholio kontrolës ástatymas (Act on Alcohol Control). The amended Act establishes stricter requirements in regard to the advertising of alcohol. The aim of the new provisions is to reduce the spread of alcohol usage in the society, particularly among young people.

Under the new provisions of the Act, the advertisement of alcohol in television is prohibited from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. This new provision shall enter into force on 1 January 2008. According to the present Law on Alcohol Control, the advertisement of alcohol is prohibited on broadcast and rebroadcast programmes of radio and television stations, cable radio and cable television stations registered in the Republic of Lithuania (except for broadcasts directly and continuously rebroadcast from abroad) from 3 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. and on weekends and during schoolchildren’s holidays, from 8 a.m. to 10.30 p.m. An exception applies to advertisements of alcoholic beverages not exceeding 22% of ethyl alcohol by volume.

Even though the amended Act tightens the requirements for advertising of alcohol on TV, it also, at the same time, softens the liability for the infringements compared with the former Act. The amended Act stipulates that a person who violates the requirements of this Law for the first time has to pay a fine from EUR 290 up to EUR 2,890, and for each similar repeated violation committed within a period of two years from the imposition of the first penalty, a fine from EUR 2,890 up to EUR 5,780. The former Law on Alcohol Control had a longer time period wherein the liability of persons for repeated violations committed was within a period of five years from the imposition of the first penalty.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned provision on the penalty system for the violation of the law shall enter into force already from 1 August 2007.

The State Consumer Rights Protection Authority is authorised to impose these penalties for the violation of the requirements on advertising of alcohol.