Netherlands
[NL] New Sponsorship Rules
IRIS 1995-3:1/14
Ad van Loon
European Audiovisual Observatory
The Dutch Parliament has significally amended the Government's Bill on the introduction of sponsorship rules for the public broadcasting stations. The Bill - aimed at implementing the 1989 EC Directive on transfrontier television - set out strict limitations on the possibilities of external financing by commercial sponsoring. The Parliament changed the 'no - except' approach into a 'yes - except' form; sponsoring of the programmes of public broadcasters is allowed, except for programmes as news broadcasts, political programmes, programmes aimed at children of 12 years or less and consumer information. Contrary to the Government's proposal, the condoned use of bill boards will be legally allowed to inform the viewers of the fact that a programme is sponsored.
References
- Gewijzigd voorstel van wet, of 7 February 1995, Nr. 23752, Wijziging van bepalingen van de Mediawet met het oog op de uitvoering van richtlijn nr. 89/552/EEG van de Raad van de Europese Gemeenschappen van 3 oktober 1989 betreffende de coördinatievan bepaalde wettelijke en bestuursrechtelijke bepalingen in de Lid-Staten inzake de uitoefening van televisie-omroepactiviteiten (PbEG L 298), en het stellen van overeenkomstige regels inzake de uitoefening van radio-omroepactiviteiten.
- Government’s Bill on the introduction of sponsorship rules for the public broadcasting stations, as amended by the Parliament.
This article has been published in IRIS Legal Observations of the European Audiovisual Observatory.