Anger at Greek toy ads decision

Date: 18/12/1997

By Leyla Linton

EUROPEAN toymakers have attacked the Commission's decision this week not to take legal action against Athens over a national law which restricts the screening of toy advertisements.

Although a majority of European Commissioners voted in favour of taking action at their meeting this week, the majority was not large enough for the institution to press ahead.

Commission sources said afterwards that the issue was unlikely to be discussed again unless industries affected by the Greek restrictions presented new evidence in support of their claim that the law breaches EU single market rules.

Stefaan Luiten, spokesman for Toy Industries of Europe (TIE), said the issue had become politicised, and accused the Commission of failing to consider the legal facts of the case.

"We feel frustrated. It is another delay of a case which is clear-cut. We are very doubtful that the Commission can live up to the promises it made in its Green Paper on commercial communications. It paints a negative picture for other cases," he said.

Together with TIE, television and advertising interests groups wrote to European Commission President Jacques Santer before this week's Commission meeting urging him to advocate action against Greece.

"Any further delay on the Commission's part to proceed against Greece would send the wrong signals to other member states intending to uphold or to establish similar bans for the same or other products," it stated.

Luiten pointed out that the toy industry would now face a fourth Christmas hampered by the restrictions which, he claimed, had resulted in a 40% drop in toy television advertising in Greece last year compared to 1993.

Internal Market Commissioner Mario Monti had argued in favour of sending Greece a 'reasoned opinion' - the last step before court action. Although he did not win enough support from colleagues to press ahead, sources said afterwards that Monti had nevertheless been "encouraged" by the vote and the debate as more Commissioners supported him than had done when the case had first been discussed the previous week.