Beer advertising self regulation in focus at EU parliament event

Responsible beer advertising has an important role to play in supporting Europe's market economy, a parliament debate has heard.

Some 22 of the EU's 27 member states have operational self regulatory systems in place, and industry representatives have been looking at how to develop responsible beer advertising at a European level.

Speaking at a Parliament Magazine roundtable discussion on Wednesday, Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, the secretary general of the Brewers of Europe said advertising self-regulation could help ensure responsible advertising while maintaining flexibility for the industry.

Brewers of Europe's 27 national associations and 4000 breweries provided some 2.5 million jobs in the EU, he said.

He also highlighted the importance of advertising and marketing "in supporting a well-functioning market economy, promoting competition, facilitating choice and funding much of the free press".

While there are a number of laws governing advertising, Bergeron insisted that "brewers across Europe also believe that they have a social responsibility and a moral obligation to ensure that our sector does not encourage misuse of alcohol".

"We know we must go further, also to maintain our reputation as a responsible business," he said.

Bergeron outlined a recent study produced by the European advertising standard alliance, on the Brewers of Europe's own commitment to seven operational standards aimed at guiding responsible beer advertising.

The report, said Bergeron, "showed the value of advertising self-regulation," by Europe's beer sector.

Former European commission director general for health, in the report's foreword, said the sector deserved, "credit for having heeded the call to action on advertising"

"The Brewers [of Europe] have worked consistently and in consultation with the European advertising standards alliance to deliver effective and credible self regulation."

Bergeron told the audience that "when people ask, 'regulation or self-regulation?' we as brewers say 'both'. While regulation sets the framework, self-regulation provides the flexibility to address citizens' concerns."

Irish EPP deputy Seán Kelly, a member of the European parliament's beer club, spoke of the importance of alcohol in peoples' social lives, as well as the employment and sponsorship opportunities beer advertising can bring.

"Our lord himself changed water into wine so people could enjoy themselves," said Kelly.

He added that self-regulation by the industry was about helping people enjoy the product, and not abuse it.

"The industry wants to self regulate so that issues which people have genuine concerns about are addressed," he said.

Fellow beer club member Austrian MEP, Paul Rübig told participants that the club met to discuss legal issues in relation to beer regulation.

Warning against the dangers of advertising censorship, he said, "Advertising should be allowed for any product that is legal."

"Beer is very important for keeping people healthy," he added. "It's a question of quantity."

Parliament's recent rapporteur on food labelling, Renate Sommer agreed, saying, "We don't want to have censorship in advertising."

"Beer has some very healthy effects," she added, citing the B vitamins and hops contained in the drink.

"A beer can be very healthy but it depends on how much you drink," she said. “We want to encourage citizens to drink responsibly.

"Beer and other alcohol are part of our European culture and heritage, we should help citizens drink responsibly and welcome each and every attempt at self regulation"

For Jean-Pierre Faure, the head of the secretariat at the European economic and social committee, self-regulation is "all about striking a balance between very hard criteria and flexibility and responsiveness to the sector".

"Self-regulation is not an option when financial, economic and social stability are at stake," he said.

And director general of the European advertising standards alliance Oliver Gray said his organisation dealt with complaints over advertising on a daily basis.

Self-regulation was important in protecting the value of a brand, he said, highlighting global standards aimed at keeping advertising "legal, decent, honest and truthful".

"If you don't get it right you lose the trust of the consumer," he said.

Have your say...

Please enter your comments below.

Name

Your e-mail address

Listen to audio version

Please type in the letters or numbers shown above (case sensitive)