Commercial and Economic Law

New “soft law” rules for alcohol advertising

According to data collected by Sciensano, with an average of 13.2 liters of alcohol consumed per person per year, Belgium exceeds the European average. Around one Belgian in six consumes alcoholic beverages in excessive quantities, while almost half of young people start drinking before the age of 16. These habits are reflected in the distressing fact that three out of every hundred deaths in our country are caused by alcohol abuse. Yet in Belgium, there is no legislation prohibiting or regulating alcohol advertising. So, representatives of the producers and distributors of alcoholic beverages, the catering industry and the consumers, under the guidance of the Jury d'Ethique Publicitaire/Jury voor Ethische Praktijken inzake Reclame (hereinafter “JEP”) ( the advertising industry's self-regulatory body composed of advertisers, advertising agencies and the media, have joined forces to fill this void, by regulating the matter contractually.