Polish Parliament's Draft Ban on Alcohol Advertising Threatens Sports Funding and Non‑Alcoholic Beer Market

Polish lawmakers are debating amendments to the law on sobriety education that would impose a total ban on advertising and promotion of alcoholic drinks, including beer. Two parliamentary proposals – one from the Lewica party and another from the Poland 2050 movement – seek to prohibit all alcohol advertising, restrict sales on petrol stations and at night, and even consider eliminating beer from small shops. Industry groups argue the measures also target non‑alcoholic beer, a product they say helps reduce overall alcohol consumption, and claim the proposals conflict with EU law.

A think‑tank, the Institute of Sports Law, warns that a ban on beer advertising could deprive Polish sport of up to 100 million zł annually, endangering sponsorships for clubs such as Legia Warsaw, Wisła Kraków, and others. The brewing sector describes the situation as unprecedented and views the restrictions as a lobbying effort against the growing zero‑percent beer segment.