Public Affairs - Protecting your freedom to advertise

As the reach and influence of the Internet grows, so does interest from the politicians in ways to regulate it to protect the interest of the consumer. From data privacy acts to controls on what can be advertised and to whom, legislation can have a significant and in some cases damaging effect on any business. A vital part of IAB Europe’s remit is to ensure that our industry is protected from unnecessary and ill-informed legislation that would restrict the growth of the online advertising industry.

IAB Europe is the industry’s primary representative for the European Parliament and Commission in Brussels and we maintain a full time lobby staff. Our experienced and dedicated team follow developments that impact on the interactive marketing industry and ensure that the regulator receives the right information at the right time to inform decisions. The team has been successful in bringing together IAB Europe members to promote the benefits of the industry to key decision makers in the European Union.

As a member of IAB Europe you will benefit from up-to-the-minute briefings on current debates as well as updates on the progress of proposed legislation. You will always know the status of key debates and their potential impact on you.

Our team, led by Alain Heureux, provides:

• A route to pass your feedback to the European Commission and the European Parliament
• Summaries of complicated European political debates so that you can quickly take a commercial view
• Regular briefings on current issues
• The opportunity to have direct participation in the decision-making proces
• A tracking service that you can use to brief your own legal teams
• A partnership process for helping you get more value from your own lobby staff
• Always-alert campaign services to address the next legislative challenge
• Advice on possible action to be taken 
• Active engagement and coalition building with other stakeholders in the industry
• Event organisation and awareness training.

Our successes include:

• Securing important amendments to the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, concluded in December 2007. This included an article recognising the importance of advertising self-regulation and exclusions for much of the non-broadcast media
• Managing an alliance of industry bodies to secure an exemption for the media from the Rome II regulation which establishes the rules to decide on the law applicable in cross-border disputes
• We were instrumental in achieving the provisions allowing the use of cookies in the E-privay Directive. We are now working across Europe through the National IABs on the revised directive to ensure these provisions are not reintroduced.

For the latest Public Affairs updates, please contact Lucile Barjot