Baku, Azerbaijan, March 14
By Fikret Dolukhanov – Trend:
Uzbekistan plans to reconsider the alcohol advertising ban, including the commercials of wines, which is recognized as an agricultural production in the country, and to make some amendments and additions to the active legislation, Uzbek media reported.
“Along with the law on advertisement we have a law on limitation of alcohol and tobacco production use. The document defines the alcohol production as drinks containing over 1.5 percent of alcohol. The law on advertisement, on its part, bans commercials of any alcohol drinks. In this regard, we plan to reconsider the legislation and make required changes,” head of the customers’ rights protection and advertisement activity control department of the Uzbek State Committee for Development of Competition Dilshod Azimov said during a press conference.
According to the report, the Uzbek Cabinet of Ministers, taking into account the progressive experience of foreign countries, will make proposals on reconsidering the limitations on wine advertising, which were introduced back in 2010.
“We also review the possibility of allowing advertisement of non-alcoholic beer. But we have some pitfalls here as well. According to the active regulations, the non-alcoholic beer can be advertised even now, but the alcohol producing brand cannot be shown. If we allow advertisement of Baltika beer, for example, it will be considered a covert advertisement, what contradicts the current legislation,” Dilshod Azimov added.
According to him, the law on advertisement was adopted 20 years ago and needs revising. A group of specialists is currently working to prepare corresponding proposals.