Ukrainian lawmakers passed a law significantly restricting the advertising of cigarettes and alcohol, including a ban on outdoor billboards.

The bill, which passed on 18 March, awaits President Viktor Yushchenko’s signature. The ban would then go into effect on 1 January 2009.
Alcohol and tobacco television sponsorship and advertising will also be substantially restricted starting next year.
Further restrictions, including the prohibition of advertising on the first and last pages of printed publications – except for special interest magazines – and public transport, will come into force in 2010.
The ban on outdoor ads threatens to slash nearly 13 per cent from Ukraine’s outdoor billboard advertising market, with the total market worth an estimated USD 200 million, said Artem Bidenko, chair of the Ukrainian Outdoor Advertisement Association Council. (pi)