Source: http://opleid.info/freedom-of-commercial-speech-in-europe.html?page=3
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 22:33:59+00:00

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The impact of fundamental rights on the internal market law can be dual, in that it concerns either the process of approximation of laws or the limitations imposed on fundamental freedoms. The fundamental rights serve as signposts for the manner in which the process of approximation of law is being carried out, in that the new harmonising rules have to be scrutinised for their conformity with fundamental rights, underpinning the internal market. They serve as a yardstick on which to judge the legality of Community law. The impact of fundamental rights on a fundamental freedom may be dual, in that it may serve either as a limitation to a limitation to a fundamental freedom or as a limitation to a fundamental freedom. The first aspect embraces situations in which a Member State is imposing a restriction on the freedom of movement and this restriction is claimed to run counter to the requirements of the protection of fundamental rights. The second aspect covers cases in which the Member States rely on the fundamental rights when they justify the exceptions to the fundamental freedoms. The fundamental rights must serve as signposts for the Member States when they rely on exceptions to fundamental freedoms.54 According to the ERT judgment, “where a Member State relies on an overriding requirement relating to the public interest or on ground for justification stipulated in the Treaty in order to justify a national rule which is likely to obstruct the exercise of a fundamental freedom arising from the Treaty, such justification must be interpreted in the light of the general principles of law and in particular of fundamental rights.”55 In this particular case the freedom to provide services had to be interpreted “in the light of the general principle of freedom of expression embodied in Art. 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights”.56 The restriction on broadcasting activities imposed by Greek law had to pass the test of conformity with the right to free speech as incorporated in Art. 10 ECHR. The fundamental right works here as a limitation to a Member State’s limitation to the fundamental freedom.
In the light of the above-mentioned adherence to fundamental rights, it is not surprising, that in the context of an emphasis placed on the economic aspects of market integration, the issues concerning the freedom of commercial expression have been referred to the European Court of Justice for adjudication. The issue of commercial speech was raised on the occasion of the challenge to the legality of the Tobacco Advertising Directive (Directive 98/43/EC of the European Parliament and the Council of 6 July 1998, on the approximation of the laws, regulations, and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products).57 Germany instituted proceedings seeking the annulment of the Directive. In the discussion on tobacco advertising the lawfulness of restrictions imposed on speech about lawful products comes under close scrutiny. The question whether a restriction allegedly pursuing public health objectives is proportional under the “necessity test” set out in Art. 10 (2) of the European Convention on Human Rights is thoroughly examined. Several possible grounds for annulment have been raised, inter alia the violation of the right to freedom of speech. This paper will analyse the reasoning presented by Advocate General Fennelly in this respect. The issue of compatibility of the restriction on advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products with the right to freedom of expression has not been addressed in the Court’s judgment, due to the fact that it upheld the challenge on the ground of lack of proper Treaty basis and annulled the Directive.
Everyone has the right to freedom of expression. This rights shall include freedom to hold opinions and to receive and impart information and ideas without interference by public authority and regardless of frontiers.
The Court draws inspiration from the constitutional traditions of the Member States and international human rights treaties on which the Member States have collaborated or to which they are signatories.58 The ECHR has been accorded a special role in this respect.
need to protect the rights and freedom of others.
This test greatly resembles the “necessity test” as set out in Art. 10 (2) ECHR.
“Nothing in this Charter shall be interpreted as restricting or adversely affecting human rights and fundamental freedoms as recognised, in their specific fields of application, by Union law and international law and by international agreements to which the Union or all the Member States are party, including the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, and by the Member States’ constitutions”.
The applicants submitted that “commercial speech such as advertising by which undertakings can give the public useful information about their products” comes within the realm of protection of Art. 10 ECHR.65 On this basis they concluded that such protection exists also in the Community legal order. The defendants on the other hand emphasised that freedom of expression is not absolute and Art. 10 (2) ECHR permits restrictions thereupon in the interests of public health.66 The dispute in the case at hand concentrated therefore on legitimacy and proportionality of restrictions based on the objectives of public health alongside with the those relative to the achievement of the internal market.
According to the above-mentioned definition commercial speech encompasses statements strictly linked to the commercial promotion of products and services. This group of statements has been classified in this paper as purely commercial speech, strictly concerned with the achievement of price and sales-volume targets. On the basis of the Advocate General’s opinion a conclusion may be drawn that commercial speech is also protected in the Community. The method of protection accorded to commercial speech under the European Convention on Human Rights is likely to be applied by analogy to the scope of protection accorded to commercial speech in Community legal order. The European Convention on Human Rights has been incorporated by the European Court of Justice to the Community legal order as a source of inspiration in fleshing out the general principles of law. Since the adoption of the Treaty establishing the Constitution for Europe, freedom of expression became a codified right as expressed in the Charter of Fundamental Rights, which was incorporated as a part of the European Constitution. The Charter does not mention commercial expression nor does it explicitly limit the protection to non-commercial (political, literary, artistic etc.) expression. Because the right to freedom of expression has been construed (in terms of its wording) similarly to its concomitant in the ECHR, and moreover on the basis of Art. II-52 (3), insofar as the rights in the Charter correspond to rights guaranteed by the ECHR, “the meaning and scope of those rights shall be the same as those laid down by the said Convention”, the protection accorded to commercial speech in the Union’s law will be construed on the basis of the interpretation of Art. 10 ECHR as developed by the ECtHR. This conclusion is all the more legitimate in the light of the European Union’s accession to the European Convention on Human Rights (Art. II-7 (2) Constitutional Treaty).
To conclude the arguments in this section it has to be noted that commercial speech is clearly recognised by the Community law.70 Its protection is based on the general statement that all speech regardless of form is protected. The exact scope of protection will be established by reference to the restrictions.
In the Tobacco Advertising Directive the restriction upon freedom of speech was justified by the need to protect public health.72 Advocate General stated that the objective of protecting public health is recognised as an objective justifying restriction on speech under the European Convention on Human Rights and as an objective justifying restrictions on the fundamental freedoms in the Community legal order (Art. 36 TEC).73 The argument put forward in the Tobacco Advertising case is that the reduction of tobacco advertising will reduce the consumption and therefore improve public health.

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