General information on the subject of advertising

General information

Advertising is generally protected by the fundamental right to freedom of expression.

As the marketer of the poster space, Ströer is not responsible for the content and design of the advertising. Ströer executes orders insofar as we are obliged to do so for legal reasons and in accordance with the applicable legal provisions – even if the content is contrary to our own political views. As a partner of the public sector, we fulfil our obligation to remain politically, ideologically and religiously neutral.

We fulfil our contractual obligations to our public, municipal contractual partners to market the advertising opportunities provided to us in public spaces in the best possible economic way. We check whether the content of a poster contains immoral or legally relevant content. However, as a poster space lessor of media space in public areas, the Ströer Group cannot refuse any advertising that does not violate laws or voluntary self-restrictions. We will honour the freedom of expression guaranteed in Article 5 of the German Constitution.

19. April 2024

Second update on the round table on party-political communication in exterior advertising

As already communicated, in August 2021 Ströer invited all parties represented in the German Bundestag to a “round table” with the aim of finding a consensus regarding regulations on party-political communication in exterior advertising. Despite our efforts, the planned “round table” will not take place as we had hoped. Nevertheless, in discussions with the democratically legitimised parties in federal, state and local politics, we were able to discuss a clear position on the handling of election advertising: Ströer must display posters of all democratically legitimised parties. Election advertising is given special protection under our law and contributes to the free formation of political opinion.

When dealing with political support campaigns, this means that the company rejects campaigns that are directed against democratically legitimised parties to avoid fuelling division in society. Political support campaigns that do not violate applicable law and are not directed against a single person or party are displayed.

28. Januar 2022

Update on the round table on party-political communication in exterior advertising of 28 January 2022

First provisional agreement reached on communication by political parties and date planned for improved transparency regulations for (party-)political communication by other players

In August 2021, Ströer invited all political parties to a “round table” with the aim of reaching a consensus on regulations for party-political communication in exterior advertising. Preliminary talks have already been held with the parties in recent weeks. In the run-up to some of this year’s state elections, all parties agreed in the preliminary talks to allow their own party election posters and campaigns to be displayed. Furthermore, municipal partners have insisted that election advertising must be displayed. In other words, advertising originating from the parties themselves or booked directly by the parties will again be displayed by Ströer with immediate effect.

There will be a meeting in the near future to discuss the handling of political campaigns by other players (i.e. not the parties themselves), focussing primarily on creating better transparency with regard to the senders of the messages.

Background

Ströer is a politically neutral company and in recent years has organised a number of outdoor advertising campaigns covering the entire political spectrum. In addition to bookings from all political parties represented in the Bundestag, such as the CDU, SPD, CSU, Die Grünen, AfD, FDP and Die Linke, on the occasion of elections to the European Parliament, federal elections, state elections and local elections, these also included political support campaigns that are both clearly to the left and clearly to the right of the political and social centre.  This resulted overall in personal hostility and threats towards the company’s employees, calls for a boycott of Ströer and damage to company property – from various political and social viewpoints.

In August 2021, Ströer invited all political parties to a “round table” with the aim of finding a consensus on better regulations for party-political communication in exterior advertising.