Parliament adopted a bill that is to substitute the current law on advertising in the first reading. It institutes a legal regime of messages of public interest that are defined as “social advertisements” in the current legislation and are regulated contradictorily, IPN reports.

Under the bill, the messages of public interest can center on the constitutional values and principles, the basic human rights and freedoms, healthy lifestyles, conditions of accessing and using public services provided free by the public authorities, environmental protection, informing of citizens in the electoral period about elections, social protection of the population, etc. Such messages could be broadcast free and for money.

The bill institutes a legal regime of political publicity in the extra-electoral period that does not exist at present. This defines the providers of political publicity and stipulates that the services to broadcast political publicity can be paid by bank transfer only.

The draft law bans misleading, immoral, discriminatory and sexist advertisements and ads by which products, services and professions are denigrated or violence or dangerous acts are instigated as they can encourage illegal behavior.

The bill was drafted by the working group for improving the legislation on the mass media and was introduced into Parliament by a group of MPs.