An ordinance issued by Economics Minister Habeck stipulates that from today illuminated advertising may only be switched on between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. However, that will not work, says the managing director of the responsible interest group.
The professional association for outdoor advertising considers it impossible that the switching off of neon advertising prescribed from today at 10 p.m. will be implemented across the board. “Depending on the advertising medium, it will not be possible in all places to switch off on September 1st at the push of a button,” said Managing Director Kai-Marcus Thäsler ntv.de.
The conversion of the illuminated outdoor advertising from automatic twilight to timers will “take some time simply because of the logistical effort,” says Thäsler. “The current lack of material and skilled workers is another major handicap.” The professional association pointed this out to the bodies responsible for the regulation “at a very early stage”.
Today, Thursday, an energy saving ordinance of the Federal Ministry of Economics comes into force, which stipulates, among other things, that neon signs must be switched off from 10:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. the following day. Exceptions apply to billboards whose lighting is required to maintain traffic safety or to ward off other hazards, such as neon signs at bus stops or in underpasses. The ordinance was only approved by the cabinet last week.
Thäsler expressly welcomed these exceptions. He also said that his association and the outdoor advertising industry as a whole would “contribute to overcoming the foreseeable energy crisis – and also to the conversion of our economy to climate neutrality”. The provisions of the regulation would be implemented to the best of our ability.
