EU court rules against Germany on tobacco ads

LUXEMBOURG, Dec 12 (Reuters) Germany today lost its bid 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 per cent 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.

Reuters SHB VV1517