Jul 29, 2024 16:00:00

Swiss municipality to ban advertising billboards in city centres

The town of Vernier near Geneva in Switzerland has passed a law banning the erection of advertising billboards. Some opponents of the law had asked the court to halt the move, but the Supreme Court has rejected the appeal.

Verbot kommerzieller Plakatwerbung auf öffentlichem Grund ist grundrechtskonform
(PDF file) https://www.bger.ch/files/live/sites/bger/files/pdf/de/2c_0036_2023_2024_07_05_T_d_11_53_43.pdf

Switzerland: Zurich, Bern Consider Billboard Advertising Bans - Bloomberg
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-07-26/zurich-bern-consider-billboard-bans-after-vernier-outlaws-visual-pollution

'We don't see any economic benefit to having billboards in the city. Advertising simply encourages consumers to make unnecessary expenditures,' said Matthias Buschbeck, a city council member from

the Swiss Green Party . 'With this ordinance we want to fight against unnecessary expenses.'

Some people who oppose the removal of advertising billboards have appealed to the courts to stop the measure. However, in July 2024, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal by the opponents. The Supreme Court judge ruled that 'the measure in Vernier does not affect free competition, but instead reduces visual pollution and gives citizens the opportunity to opt out of unwanted advertising.'

The Supreme Court ruling means that more than three-quarters of the 172 billboards in Vernier have been removed, and the rest can now be used for advertising culture and sports. The new ordinance applies to all advertising visible from public property, including private property.

Similar ordinances are being enacted in the Swiss capitals of Bern and Zurich, and it has been pointed out that the decision in Vernier is a first step towards removing advertising billboards. However, the Swiss advertising industry is

estimated to be worth around 400 million Swiss francs (approximately 69 billion yen) (PDF file) , and the enactment of this ordinance could pose a risk to this industry.

Markus Elle, president of the Swiss advertising industry association, criticised the move, saying: 'A ban on advertising billboards could funnel money to big internet companies like Google and Meta. Also, online advertising consumes much more energy than installing billboards.'

The left-wing political group Vernier also opposed the ordinance, saying that 'advertising is intended to create needs that people did not know about before.'

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