EU Court Rules Against Germany on Tobacco Ads

Germany lost its bid on Tuesday to overturn European Union rules that ban tobacco advertising and sponsorship after Europe's highest court upheld laws passed by EU governments and the European Parliament.

"The prohibitions of tobacco advertising and sponsorship meet the conditions ... for the establishment and functioning of the internal market," the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice said in a statement.

Germany was seeking to allow tobacco advertising and sponsorship in media other than television, such as local newspapers and radio. Such a practice is forbidden under EU law.

The German government argued that "99.9 percent of the publications covered by the ban have never been sold abroad" and the "vast majority of radio stations have a regional or local audience", placing it outside the remit of the EU.