Romanian outdoor adverting has avoided a big blow with the local Government deciding not to take down outdoor boards and instead allow them to remain for two years.

The extension was triggered by the lack of time for the authorities to check whether all outdoor advertising boards were placed legally, and whether removing them would potentially cause lawsuits with the involved companies. Another reason cited for the decision was Romania's need to create a stable investment climate during a tough time, avoiding any unattractive measure for investors.

The Government had previously decided that all authorized outdoor contracts can be kept in the current locations until the contracts expired, but no later than January 2014. Outdoor ad boards were to be checked by the authorities on certain criteria, before deciding whether they would be allowed as exceptions.

But the mechanisms to check these boards also needed some architectural analysis, and required judicial review of contracts, and the term was too short for local authorities to do all these.

So all outdoor advertising in Romania will stay put until October 2015, the Government has finally decided.

editor@romania-insider.com