The law modifies an existing law governing the protection of cityscapes.

According to mno.hu, the main point of the new law is to grant the government authority to decree what kind of advertisements can be erected in public spaces and on the exterior of private property visible from public spaces.

The legislation includes a vague framework to guide the government regulation. For example, advertisements may not disturb the unique, valuable, or traditional design features of any given settlement.

“In defense of the uniqueness of cityscape, the fundamental rule must be observed which ensures the number of advertisements is reasonably proportionate,” stipulates the law.

Interestingly, the rules do not have to be observed for three months out of the year, but the law does not describe precisely when or under which conditions this may happen.

Municipalities will no longer be the enforcers of these regulations, as this too will be decided by government decree. Penalties for violating the new rules have already been established and range from HUF 150,000 to HUF 3 million.

According to mno.hu, the law requires municipalities to review all public advertisement contracts within 90 days. Starting in autumn 2017, only advertisements conforming to the new regulations will be permitted in public spaces.

During the short parliamentary debate that took place, Deputy Minister Nándor Csepreghy emphasized the importance of preserving cityscapes. He said the reason the law was so vague is because government will decide the technical details through government decrees.

Opposition politicians criticized the law for further politicizing Hungary’s advertising market.

Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) parliamentarian László Varga accused the government of regulating the advertising market with “the assistance of an Orwellian agency” to ensure that only cronies will have access to the market.

A Politics Can Be Different (LMP) MP was critical of the provision that allows for three months exemption, saying that this might be to allow the government to use the advertising spaces for its informational campaigns.
Source: The Budapest Beacon

Republished with permission