The European Association of Communications Agencies, an alliance of twenty-nine national associations, has set strict guidelines for entrants into any of its competitions or awards.

Any creative output, against which complaints have been upheld or have been disallowed by a national self-regulatory organisation, will not be accepted in any awards competition.

The move is designed to strengthen the agency sector's commitment to effective self-regulation. It is just one element in EACA's new nine-point mission statement, published earlier this week, covering …

• Organisation and funding;

• Codes and observance;

• Enforcement and sanctions.

The declaration pre-empts the European Advertising Standards Alliance's self-regulation summit in Brussels on 25 June.

Says EACA president James Best: "The advertising industry is increasingly being challenged to operate a consistent and effective self-regulation system across the enlarged European Union. Agencies, along with advertisers and the media, can no longer afford to pay lip service to this concept."

EACA members are responsible for handling approximately 85% of European adspend.

Data sourced from: IPA Online (UK); additional content by WARC staff