Mykola Tomenko: Advertising of the Alcohol Beverages and Medicines is supposed to be either prohibited or conducted exclusively pursuant to the Legislation
"Advertising of alcoholic beverages and medicines shall be either prohibited or performed exclusively in conformity to the legislation", Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, stated, opening the round table discussion "Implementation and Enhancement of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" regarding Advertising of Certain Groups of Goods" at the Parliament.
M.Tomenko stated that The Verkhovna Rada had already accumulated a great number of bills on amendments to advertising legislation, including the ones regulating advertising of certain types of goods, i.e. alcoholic beverages, tobacco goods, medicine, medical equipment, etc. "Moreover, a large number of requests coming from the ordinary people and different organizations concern the facts of neglect of the applicable legislation in these aspects," he stated.
Dwelling upon the violations, the Deputy Chairman stated that direct advertising of liquor had been restored on the Ukrainian television and radio channels. "The requirements of clause 22 of the Law of Ukraine "On Advertising" prohibiting advertisement of alcoholic beverages and respective trademarks from 6.00 to 23.00 are being violated. The attempts of some alcohol beverage producers to disguise direct advertising of liquor with social advertisements are pathetic. Thus, on the one hand, the Law "On Advertising" is neglected, while on the other hand the concept of social advertisement is being discredited", M.Tomenko stated. Moreover, the Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine stressed that "the contents of beer advertisements fails to conform to the applicable legislation." "Advertisement of medicine provokes a great many questions. Televisions quizzes, or, to put it simply, ‘lottery scams´, have been legalized and become almost prime time programs on many channels", M.Tomenko stated.
Mykola Tomenko, Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, pinpointed two alternative action plans to improve the situation. "Firstly, the advertising companies of Ukraine should be requested to observe the applicable legislation, secondly, the discrepancies in the advertising legislation should be settled", he stated. Mykola Tomenko made it a point that all the bills on the issues mentioned had been registered at The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
Summing up, the Deputy Chairman of The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine called on the attendants to discuss the outlined issues, especially observance of the rules of advertising of certain goods (alcoholic beverages, tobacco goods, medicine, medical equipment, etc). He also called for debating the areas of harmonizing advertising legislation with the public needs and demands of the information sector development.