Albania

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion “through print media, television and radio broadcasts, and information society services.” Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion is banned on domestic TV and radio.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion on domestic TV and radio.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion “through print media, television and radio broadcasts, and information society services.” Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotions is banned in domestic newspapers and magazines.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion in domestic newspapers and magazines.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion “through print media, television and radio broadcasts, and information society services.” Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion is banned in other domestic print media, such as pamphlets, leaflets, flyers, posters, signs.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion in other domestic print media.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion “through print media, television and radio broadcasts, and information society services.” Therefore, tobacco advertising and promotion is prohibited through internet communications.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion through internet communications.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion through television broadcasts. However, the law does not explicitly ban tobacco advertising and promotion through international or cross-border TV and radio. Therefore, the regulatory status code “Uncertain” is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should make clear that tobacco advertising and promotion on international (cross-border) TV and radio is prohibited.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion in newspapers and magazines. However, the law does not explicitly ban tobacco advertising and promotion through international newspapers and magazines. Therefore, the regulatory status code “Uncertain” is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should make clear that tobacco advertising and promotion in international (cross-border) newspapers and magazines is prohibited.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion through print media, which includes outdoor advertising.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to outdoor tobacco advertising.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion through print media, as well as through “[a]ny other form of advertising, including indirect promotion through colors representing company logos/emblems.” Together these provisions prohibit point of sale advertising and promotion.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to point of sale tobacco advertising and promotion.

The law prohibits the sale of tobacco products through “self-service.” Therefore, tobacco products cannot be placed on shelves available to the consumer. In addition, the law prohibits tobacco advertising “including . . . promotion through the display of products that imitate external packaging.” Taken together, these provisions are interpreted as prohibiting point of sale product display.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to point of sale product display.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion through print media. Any advertising through conventional mail necessarily involves print media. Therefore, tobacco advertising through conventional mail is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion through conventional mail.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising and promotion through information society services, which by definition includes any services provided electronically, including by telephone and cellular phone. Therefore, advertising and promotion by telephone and cellular phone is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion through telephone and cellular phone.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising, “including indirect promotion through colors representing company logos/emblems.” Therefore, brand marking in entertainment venues, retail outlets, and on vehicles and equipment is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to brand marking on physical structures.

The free distribution of tobacco products by entities engaged in their manufacture, import, or trade is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines and meets FCTC Art. 16 with respect to the free distribution of tobacco products.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising, which is defined to include commercial communication intended - directly, indirectly, or covertly - to promote a tobacco product. Promotions with a tobacco product purchase necessarily involve some form of “commercial communication” to promote the tobacco product. Therefore, the law is interpreted as prohibiting promotions with a tobacco product purchase.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to promotions with a tobacco product purchase.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising, which is defined to include commercial communication intended - directly, indirectly, or covertly - to promote a tobacco product. The ban also includes “indirect promotion through colors representing company logos/emblems.” These provisions are interpreted as prohibiting competitions associated with tobacco products or brand names.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to competitions associated with tobacco products.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising, which is defined to include commercial communication intended - directly, indirectly, or covertly - to promote a tobacco product. Direct person to person targeting is a commercial communication and is therefore prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to tobacco advertising and promotion through direct person-to-person targeting.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising, “including indirect promotion through colors representing company logos/emblems.” Therefore, non-tobacco products or services using tobacco brand names or carrying a brand logo or other brand indicia is prohibited.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to brand stretching.

The law does not address reverse brand stretching. Therefore, the law is interpreted as allowing reverse brand stretching.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit reverse brand stretching.

The law does not address toys that resemble tobacco products. Therefore, the law is interpreted as allowing such toys.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit toys that resemble tobacco products.

The law does not address candy that resembles tobacco products. Therefore, the law is interpreted as allowing such candy.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit candy that resembles tobacco products.

The law prohibits tobacco “advertising,” which is defined as “any form of commercial or non-commercial communication intended—directly, indirectly, or covertly—to promote a tobacco product.” Retailer incentive programs necessarily involve communications to retailers that are intended to indirectly or covertly promote a tobacco product. Therefore, the law is interpreted as prohibiting retailer incentive programs.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to retailer incentive programs.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising in TV, and prohibits “any other form of advertising, including indirect promotion through colors representing company logos/emblems or promotion through the display of products that imitate external packaging.” Taken together, these provisions are interpreted as prohibiting paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film, or other media.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to paid placement of tobacco products in TV, film, and other media.

The law prohibits tobacco “advertising,” which is defined as “any form of commercial or non-commercial communication intended—directly, indirectly, or covertly—to promote a tobacco product” through print media, television and radio broadcasts, or information society services. Unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products in media is a form of non-commercial communication. Therefore, the law is interpreted as prohibiting such depictions.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to unpaid depiction of tobacco use or tobacco products in TV, film, and other entertainment media that does not serve a legitimate purpose.

The law prohibits tobacco sponsorship of media, radio and television programs and “activities” that promote a tobacco product. The definition of sponsorship encompasses any form of support “for an event, activity, or individual” that promotes a tobacco product. Therefore, the ban is interpreted to cover events, activities and individuals, but not necessarily organizations. The ban also does not cover sponsorship that promotes a tobacco manufacturer, but not a specific product. In addition, the prohibition explicitly excludes sponsorship that “is for other beneficial purposes, including investments, which do not constitute advertising of tobacco products.” This exemption is interpreted to allow contributions to corporate social responsibility activities and youth tobacco use prevention programs. For all these reasons, the regulatory status code “Some Restrictions” is given.

To align with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines, the law should prohibit all tobacco industry sponsorship, including tobacco industry sponsorship of events, activities, individuals, organizations, and governments.

The law bans tobacco advertising and promotion through most forms (print media, television and radio broadcasts, information society services, and more generally through colors representing company logos/emblems and through the display of products that imitate external packaging) and prohibits direct, indirect or covert commercial and non-commercial communications to promote tobacco products.  Accordingly, publicity of financial or other sponsorship or support by the tobacco industry is banned.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to publicity of financial or other sponsorship or support by the tobacco industry.

The law prohibits tobacco advertising that creates a false impression for the public. In addition, the use of misleading terms and descriptors on tobacco product packaging is prohibited. Together, these provisions prohibit promotion by any means that are false, misleading, or deceptive.

The law aligns with FCTC Art. 13 and the FCTC Art. 13 Guidelines with respect to the promotion of tobacco products by false, misleading or deceptive means.