The Budapest General Assembly has voted to introduce sweeping restrictions on outdoor advertising, cutting the number of advertising spaces across the capital by around 10,000 from the current total of approximately 15,000. Under the new rules, large billboards and advertising mesh coverings will be banned, while the number of advertising columns will be reduced to one-fifth by the end of the year.
The proposal, submitted by Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, was approved on Friday by 19 votes in favour and four against.
Major overhaul of outdoor advertising
Under the new regulation defining areas where advertisements and advertising structures will be prohibited, advertisements in public spaces (or on private property visible from public spaces) will generally only be permitted on citylight displays integrated into public transport shelters, on traditional rooftop line signs, and on advertising columns located along certain historic inner-city boulevards.
According to the adopted proposal, the new framework “will ensure a radical reduction in visual advertising pollution while protecting Budapest’s cityscape.”
Official government records show that Budapest currently has 15,688 outdoor advertising structures visible from public spaces. These include 8,393 billboards, 955 advertising columns and more than 200 advertising mesh coverings.
Local authorities gain greater powers
The proposal notes that legislation adopted by Parliament earlier this week grants local governments broad regulatory powers to designate areas where advertisements and advertising structures may not be installed. Municipalities may also prohibit specific types of advertising structures according to local conditions.
Under the transitional provisions of the law, all advertising structures affected by the new restrictions must be removed by 31 December.
As a result, large billboards and other similarly sized advertising structures will be banned throughout Budapest. Advertising columns will only remain in selected historic locations, including the Pest section of the Grand Boulevard, the Small Boulevard, and stretches of Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Road, Andrássy Avenue, Rákóczi Road and Üllői Road between the boulevards.
Advertising mesh coverings will also be prohibited citywide. In addition, advertisements attached to buildings, walls, fences, kiosks or other structures that are not classified as buildings will generally no longer be permitted.
An exception will be made for traditional rooftop neon signs, reflecting Budapest’s architectural heritage.
The regulation also bans advertisements on firewalls, telephone exchange buildings and emergency telephones, citing their negative impact on the cityscape.
The new rules will enter into force on 1 October.
Public transport advertising also under review
The General Assembly has instructed Mayor Karácsony to ask the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) to assess how many additional passenger shelters could be installed beyond the previously proposed 400 shelters under the revised advertising rules.
According to the adopted proposal, the radical overhaul of outdoor advertising is expected to significantly increase the market value of advertising space operated by Budapest’s public transport company (BKV), making it necessary to develop a new strategy for commercialising these assets.
The proposal also aims to reduce visual pollution on public transport by removing adhesive advertisements from BKV vehicle windows, as well as advertisements placed between escalators and on station floors and walls.
However, the removal of small advertisements displayed inside vehicles is not considered necessary.
Heated political debate
During the debate, Mayor Gergely Karácsony described the decision as a “historic moment”, arguing that the city was finally placing urban design considerations at the centre of advertising regulation.
He said there was no public interest in filling public spaces with advertisements and argued that only advertising columns compatible with Budapest’s historic cityscape should remain.
“It is completely absurd that during political campaigns we have to walk through forests of posters,” he said.
Advertising industry warns of economic consequences
Tamás Frigyes Bauer, representing the Hungarian Advertising Association, urged councillors to reject the proposal, arguing that it had been submitted without professional consultation or an impact assessment and would undermine an industry worth tens of billions of forints.
He warned that the new rules could put numerous businesses in an impossible position, threatening jobs and livelihoods, while depriving Budapest of around HUF 1 billion in annual revenue.
As an example, Bauer pointed out that while Budapest currently has 15,688 advertising spaces, Vienna has around 22,000. Rather than eliminating advertising structures, he said, the Austrian capital regulates them—a solution the association also supports.
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Parties divided over the proposal
Councillors from the Fidesz-KDNP group agreed with the advertising association that an impact assessment and public consultation should have preceded the regulation.
Bence György argued that without these steps the measure was unlawful and would endanger businesses and jobs.
By contrast, representatives of the Democratic Coalition (DK), the Podmaniczky Movement, Párbeszéd–Greens and the Tisza Party argued that advertisers had contributed to years of visual pollution and the spread of hateful public messaging without exercising meaningful self-regulation.
Sándor Szaniszló (DK) said Budapest’s streets had been dominated by war propaganda and smear campaigns. Judit Barna (Tisza Party) argued that political billboards had caused psychological harm, particularly to children by creating fear and anxiety, while enriching companies linked to the former governing elite.
Richárd Barabás (Párbeszéd–Greens) argued that excessive advertising promoted the very form of unchecked capitalism that was “consuming the planet.” József Gál (Podmaniczky Movement) criticised the fact that Budapest’s streets had come to resemble the pages of a supermarket promotional leaflet.
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Forget visual pollution (which, yes, is pretty bad) and focus on the noise pollution, especially emergency vehicles.
Emergency vehicles need to start driving code, which means using the siren ONLY when absolutely necessary. On Thokoly ut an emergency vehicle running code three goes screaming down once every 3-4 minutes, even when traffic conditions are light, the intersections are clear, it’s got the light, there are no pedestrians around with the potential to do something dumb, etc.
It has to stop. They make the city sound like a 24/7 emergency.