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A new bill submitted to the Turkish parliament would widen restrictions on the sale and promotion of alcoholic drinks, including by blocking alcohol companies from backing concerts and festivals and by cutting back the public visibility of alcohol branding in commercial spaces.
Abdullah Guler, head of the ruling AK Party's parliamentary group, said the proposal had been drawn up as part of what he described as an effort to fight addiction and protect young people and families. Referring to Article 58 of the Constitution, he said the state had a duty to shield youth from alcohol dependency, narcotics, crime, gambling and other harmful habits.
At the center of the proposal is a broader clampdown on how alcohol producers can show up in public life. Under the bill, companies that produce alcoholic beverages would no longer be allowed to support events by using their names, brands, emblems or logos, a move that would effectively shut off sponsorships tied to concerts, festivals and similar gatherings.
The proposal would also seek to prevent what Guler described as hidden advertising. In the same vein, branding linked to alcoholic drinks would be pushed out of event spaces, meaning alcohol-related logos and brand names could no longer be used at such venues.
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The bill goes beyond direct sponsorship and takes aim at marketing practices that lawmakers say may encourage purchases.
Guler said the proposal would ban special branding arrangements in which low-alcohol drink brands are used on high-alcohol products, arguing that such practices build on brand familiarity among young people and may drive consumer interest.
The draft law would also crack down on alcohol-related wording and visuals in retail spaces. Guler said the aim was to clear out any signs, text or images from shop windows that could be seen as encouraging alcohol use, extending restrictions to the storefront level.
At the same time, enforcement of the existing ban on alcohol sales between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. would be handed over to local civil authorities, known in Türkiye as mulki amirler, rather than being handled through the current system. Guler said this change was meant to speed up inspections and carry them out more directly on the ground.
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