lawmaking

Yesterday the Federation Council approved the law “On Advertising”. However, at the same time, he voted for two protocol instructions: to prepare amendments prohibiting advertising in children's television programs and excluding the placement of advertising within the right of way of the red line of the road. And these are not the only changes that can be made to the law “On Advertising” immediately after the president signs the bill; the Moscow government intends to develop its own amendments.

As recommended by the commission on economic policy of the Federation Council (see Kommersant on March 1), the senators did not slow down the adoption of the law “On Advertising.” They voted for its approval and the creation of a working group that will develop a block of amendments and introduce them into the law after it is signed by the President of the Russian Federation.

Future amendments will address two points. Firstly, the provisions of the law allowing advertising in children's and educational television programs. The working group will have to determine how to ensure that children's and educational programs without commercial breaks do not disappear from the airwaves. Previously, Senator Lyudmila Narusova proposed financing the production of children's television programs, for example, at the expense of TV advertising sellers, obliging them to transfer a certain percentage of advertising revenues for these purposes.

Secondly, unlike the authors of the bill “On Advertising,” the senators took into account the wishes expressed by the Minister of Internal Affairs Rashid Nurgaliev in a letter to the Chairman of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov. The minister asked that the law include a rule that would exclude the installation of advertising structures within the so-called red lines (include several meters on both sides of the road; the width is determined in accordance with the architectural plan).

The authors of the bill agree with the Federation Council only partially. “The idea of removing outdoor advertising from those areas on the road where it can pose a danger to motorists is a good one,” says one of them, deputy Vladimir Medinsky. “The idea of a fund for financing children’s television shows seems utopian to me: it is not clear how to track these financial flows.” .

Meanwhile, not only senators have complaints about the new law “On Advertising”. As Vladimir Makarov, chairman of the Moscow Advertising and Information Committee, told Kommersant, for 2006 the Moscow government's legislative activity plan includes an item on amending the law “On Advertising.” “The law needs to more clearly formulate the concept of outdoor advertising, clarify that the agreement for its placement should be concluded with the owner of the territory or building, and not the tenant,” he said. “The new law still has something to work on.”

Kommersant will monitor developments.

YULIA Kommersant-KULIKOVA, TIMUR Kommersant-BORDYUG

The Law “On Advertising” was adopted to finalize