EU Parliament report averts advertising restrictions

Date: 29/09/2008

On 25 September 2008 the European Parliament adopted by a large majority (536 in favour, 37 against) a report on the Commission's White Paper on nutrition, overweight and obesity, drafted by Alessandro Foglietta. The report averted calls for regulatory advertising restrictions, and instead "recognises the substantial role of self-regulation in fighting obesity".

The overall outcome of the vote confirmed the positive approach adopted at Committee level in May 2008, and largely reflects amendments introduced by WFA, in collaboration with the European Food Industry Association (CIAA).

In a press conference held the day before the vote, Alessandro Foglietta, an Italian conservative, outlined the major points of his report, namely: promotion of physical activity, improved nutritional labelling and initiatives by local authorities. He did not think regulatory action on advertising was warranted at this stage.

This report is non-binding, but it does reflect the current mood of the European Parliament and could inform future regulatory dossiers. In particular, the report insists that industry commitments will be closely monitored until 2010. By that date, the Commission is expected to appraise the effectiveness of such initiatives and will table regulatory proposals if they prove unsuccessful.

For more information on this please contact Malte Lohan: [email protected]