Black Coffee meeting Summary |
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On April 27th the European Enterprise Institute organized a Black Coffee meeting on Advertisement as a promoter of innovation.
The meeting with the title Advertising: Manipulation, Information or Driver
of Innovation? featured Mr. Pat Cox former President of the European
Parlaiment, Mrs. Zuzana Roithová MEP (Vice-Chair of the Internal Market
& Consumer Protection Committee), Mr. Ross Biggam General Director of
the Association of Commercial Television in Europe with political conclusion
from Mrs. Karin Riis-Jørgensen MEP (EEI Board Member).
The event was moderated by EEI President Mr. Peter Jungen and was attended by approx. 40 Brussels based stakeholders including members of the European Parliament.
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[ 4. května 2005 | Autor: ] |
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Mr. Cox focused his presentation on the case of pharmaceutical
advertising, arguing that advertising of medicine will provide great benefits
for European patients and the European economy.
Mr. Jungen added that 400,000 researchers educated in Europe
currently work in the United States.
Mrs. Roithova also focused on the case of pharmaceutical advertising, arguing that the EU might have to liberalize its advertising rules because of global competition, especially from the United States where pharmaceutical advertising is legal. It is important to study the American experience in this field, she argued. Roithova highlights that advertising the same medicinal products whose cost may be reimbursed can be prohibited in one state and not in another. But for advertising, the state border does not mean limitation – a good example is TV broadcasting or the world wide web which both cross borders deep inside the neighbour state territory. Progressive globalisation will lead to many changes in Europe – among others, a certain liberalisation of some regulations of advertising of medicinal products. She is convinced that advertising regulation in health service is necessary. It must effectively protect the public from unfair commercial practices. On the other hand she doesn´t think that it is necessary to restrict the advertising of positive information that means edification for our citizens. She went on to note that “a well-informed patient can better control his or her health and costs,” referring to the 2004 EEI paper, “Preventive Medicine: How information can Modernize EU Healthcare,” which argued that pharmaceutical advertising would reduce health costs by making markets more competitive.
Mr. Biggam argued that advertising plays an important role by
financing the free press, which is an essential element of any democracy.