The Minister for Energy Transition, Agnès Pannier-Runacher, announced on Sunday July 24 a decree generalizing the ban on illuminated advertisements at night throughout France. This future decree intends to harmonize the existing rules for switching off illuminated advertisements from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., which currently differ according to the size of the agglomeration and which the associations want to tighten further.
The current situation: little compliance with regulations
The question of regulating illuminated advertising is not new. A 2012 decree provides that illuminated advertisements are switched off between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., except for airports and towns with more than 800,000 inhabitants, where local advertising regulations, taken on the initiative of mayors, can substitute for regulation. However, only 6% of municipalities have adopted a regulation to this effect, covering 37% of the population, according to the Ministry of Energy Transition
According to the spokesperson for the National Association for the Protection of the Night Sky and the Environment (ANPCEN), Anne-Marie Ducroux, this 2012 decree was only really applied in 2018. In the event of an inspection, offenders so far risk a 4th class criminal fine, up to 750 euros per advertisement.
In 2021, the climate and resilience law tackled video screens in store windows, allowing local elected officials to define “extinguishing times” in particular.
The government’s plan: towards heavier sanctions
Agnès Pannier-Runacher promised a decree which “generalizes the ban on illuminated advertisements regardless of the size of the city between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., with rare exceptions such as train stations and airports”.
“This decree aims to harmonize the rules for switching off illuminated advertisements, whether or not the municipality is covered by a local advertising regulation”argues the ministry, explaining that “the contours will be specified” when the decree is published.
The penalty will be heavier: breaches will be punished by a 5th class fine of up to 1,500 euros per advertisement or per sign not extinguished, the Ministry of Energy Transition told AFP.
The grievances of associations: a project that does not go far enough?
For Zelie Victor, energy transition manager of Réseau Action Climat (RAC), which federates several associations, it is necessary “limit peak consumption not just between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., but during times of stress, especially at lunchtime and in the evening, where there is more energy use”.
The minister could “for example, increase the shutdown time from 1 a.m. at 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at 6 a.m.”adds Anne-Marie Ducroux.
“If we want to go in a direction of energy and light sobriety, we do without everything that is useless”
Anne-Marie Ducroux, ANPCEN spokespersonat Agence France-Presse
The Citizens’ Convention for the Climate, wanted by President Emmanuel Macron, was much more ambitious and had proposed to the government “the banning of these screens (advertising videos) in public spaces, public transport and in points of sale”a proposal that had been rejected.