Romania increases maximum audiovisual fines to 440,000 lei

The Romanian government has approved an update to the fines stipulated by Audiovisual Law no. 504/2002, adjusting the penalty limits to account for cumulative inflation since 2009.

The maximum fine for certain violations will increase from 200,000 lei to 440,000 lei. For other infractions, the range will shift from 10,000–200,000 lei to 22,000–440,000 lei. Additionally, fines for violations involving media service providers or distributors will increase from a range of 5,000–100,000 lei to 11,000–220,000 lei.

Targeted violations include the use of subliminal techniques, masked advertising, failure to respect the right to reply, unauthorized retransmission, and providing audiovisual media services without a license. The adjustment follows a recommendation to ensure that sanctions remain a deterrent, as previous limits were reportedly being treated by high-budget productions as routine operating expenses.