Belgium

This page contains information on statutory alcohol marketing regulations in Belgium (table 1); a description of the restrictions per medium (table 2); labelling information (table 3); information on self-regulations on alcohol marketing regulations (table 4); the complaints procedure; a summary about the Belgian regulations on alcohol marketing and exhaustive, downloadable documents from the ELSA & FASE research projects.

Updated February 2022


Table 1Statutory Alcohol marketing regulations in BelgiumCoverage
justicebnwWet betreffende
de bescherming
van de
gezondheid van
de gebruikers op
het stuk van de
voedingsmiddelen
en andere
produkten (Law to protect the health of consumers)
(Loi relative à la protection de la santé des consommateurs en ce qui concerne les denrées alimentaires et les autres produits)
TV, radio, cinema, sponsoring, internet/digital media, outdoor, print, promotional items. In the interest of public health, the king can prescribe rules and prohibition measures concerning alcohol advertising (Article 7 § 2)
Vlaams mediadecreet
betreffende de
radio-omroep en
de televisie
(Flemish Act
on radio and television broadcasting)
Radio and TV: commercial communication (article 68), television advertising and teleshopping (article 83), radio advertising (article 89), children's programmes (article 94)
Decret coordonne sur les services de medias audiovisuels (French community Decree on Audiovisual Media Services)Radio and TV
Publishers of services that broadcast advertising for alcoholic beverages must make advertising space available to the Government, free of charge, intended for the dissemination of health education campaigns, equal to those devoted to advertising for alcohol (art 16)
Dekret über [die audiovisuellen Mediendienste] und die Kinovorstellungen (Decree of the Media Council of the German-speaking Community of Belgium)Radio and TV
Content restrictions: art13, art 18
Table 2 Statutory regulations per mediumType of restrictions
TVTelevisionYouth protection policy: Advertising may not be broadcasted in the ad slot just before or after children's programmes (Article 83 Act on radio and television broadcasting)
Youth protection policy: Children's programmes may not be sponsored by companies whose principal activity is the manufacture or sale of alcohol beverages (Article 94 Act on radio and television broadcasting)
Content restrictions (Article 68 Act on radio and television broadcasting)
RadioMusic-Radio-iconYouth protection policy: Radio advertising may not be broadcasted in the ad slot just before or after children's programmes (Article 89 Act on radio and television broadcasting)
Content restrictions (Article 68 Act on radio and television broadcasting)
Youth protection policy: Children's programmes may not be sponsored by companies whose principal activity is the manufacture or sale of alcohol beverages (Article 94 Act on radio and television broadcasting)
Outdoor marketingOutdoor AdvertisingNone, only self-regulation for youth protection policy and content restrictions (Covenant on practice and advertising for alcoholic beverages)
Printed mediaPrint mediaNone, only self-regulation for youth protection policy (any advertising for an alcoholic beverage shall be prohibited in newspapers and periodicals mainly intended for children) and content restrictions (Covenant on practice and advertising for alcoholic beverages)
CinemaCinemaNone, only self-regulation for youth protection policy (Any advertising for an alcoholic beverage shall be prohibited when a film mainly intended for children is being shown in a cinema) and content restrictions (Covenant on practice and advertising for alcoholic beverages)
Internet/digital mediaOnlineNone, only self-regulation for youth protection policy (Any advertising for an alcoholic beverage is prohibited in digital media
mainly aimed at an audience that consists of minors) and content restrictions (Covenant on practice and advertising for alcoholic beverages)
Promotional itemssales promotionsNone, only self-regulation for youth protection policy and content restrictions (Covenant on practice and advertising for alcoholic beverages)
(Sports) sponsorshipsponsorshipNone, only self-regulation for youth protection policy and content restrictions (Covenant on practice and advertising for alcoholic beverages).
Table 3 Labelling informationDescriptionLegally binding or self-regulation
Health warnings:Nopregnancywhite
Ingredients/nutritional informationNo
Table 4 Self-regulations on Alcohol marketing in BelgiumCoverage
Convenant inzake reclame voor en marketing van alcoholhoudende dranken (Covenant on
practice and
advertising for alcoholic
beverages)
TV, radio, cinema, sponsoring, internet/digital media, outdoor, print, promotional items

Scientific articles about the functioning of existing regulations in Belgium:

Decorte, T. – Kramer, R. – Vlaemynck, M., De Donder, E., & De Duve, M.  (2019). Assessment of alternative models of regulation alcohol marketing in Belgium (ALMOREGAL) : final report.  Brussels : Belgian scientific Policy. http://www.belspo.be/belspo/fedra/DR/DR77_FinRep.pdf

Kramer, R., De Donder, E., De Duve, M., Van Havere, T., Geirnaert, M., Matthys, F., & Decorte, T. (2020). Naar een integraal alcoholbeleid in België. TSG-Tijdschrift voor gezondheidswetenschappen98(3), 118-121. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12508-020-00265-9

The following document contains an in depth (but older) overview of alcohol marketing regulations in Belgium: alcohol-marketing-regulations-Belgium.pdf

For even more (but older) information on alcohol marketing regulations in the Belgium, please take a look at Belgium’s appendix to the 2007 ELSA (Enforcement of national Laws and Self-regulation on advertising and marketing of Alcohol) report.

For more information on alcohol marketing regulations in Belgium, contact Else de Donder at else.dedonder@vad.be