For proactive and effective advertising self-regulation and
the enhancement of socially responsible advertising in Europe
Madrid, 7 October 2022
On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the European Advertising Standards Alliance (EASA), EASA members from the advertising industry, digital pure-play companies, and advertising self-regulatory organisations signed a declaration composed of five commitments reaffirming their collective commitments and establishing new ones to maintain and develop effective and independent advertising self-regulation across European markets in accordance with the principles outlined in the EASA Charter. To ensure a high level of consumer protection and justified trust in advertising for the benefit of all stakeholders and society, EASA members strongly support ad SR, often in conjunction with legal backstops.
Representatives from the Spanish government and the European Commission attended the signing ceremony and delivered keynote speeches. First, Rafael Escudero Alday, Secretary General for Consumer Affairs and Gaming, addressed the audience. The keynote speeches were delivered by María Ángeles Benítez Salas, Director of the Representation of the European Commission in Spain, and Ana Gallego Torres, Director-General of the Directorate-General Justice and Consumers.
By signing the declaration, EASA members commit to promoting robustly funded collective advertising self-regulation; promoting technology-enabled advertising self-regulation; supporting independent and locally rooted advertising self-regulation; enabling a common European approach; supporting responsive, inclusive, effective, and nimble advertising self-regulation, as well as fostering collaborative advertising self-regulation. To ensure the above-mentioned commitments are met, EASA will serve as a forum and a focal point where members can share ideas, develop solutions, and collaborate with relevant stakeholders, non-member organisations, civil society, and academia.
Charo Fernando Magarzo, Chair of EASA, said: “For the 30th anniversary, we did not want to complacently rest on our laurels looking back on our past achievements rather, we wanted to look critically and ambitiously into the future, laying the foundations for next years’ developments in advertising self-regulation to ensure that it remains relevant and useful, for industry, for citizens and for society in general. At the same time, we commit in a more active role for EASA and the SROs in supporting the positioning of advertising as a force for good in promoting social values, such as environmental sustainability, inclusion, diversity, etc. as a response to the challenges we are facing as a society.”
“I am delighted. Today’s signing is a historical milestone for EASA. Not only does it demonstrate our members’ strong belief in the core values which underpin self-regulation such as comprehensiveness, collectiveness, independence, and collaboration but lays the ground for the future by paving the way for further presence of digital, whether in the membership of the Alliance and in the tools used,” stated Lucas Boudet, Director General of EASA.
