The Press Advertisement Agency was established by Law No. 195 of 2/1/1961 on the Establishment of the Press Advertisement Agency. The Law was published in the Official Gazette of 9/1/1961, No. 10702.
Establishment — Art. 1
The Press Advertisement Agency is established to be administered under the provisions of this Law. The Agency has public legal personality.
Duties — Art. 2
The duties of the Press Advertisement Agency are the following:
| No. | Duty |
|---|---|
| 1 | To act as intermediary in the publication of official announcements in periodicals |
| 2 | To extend credit, for a term of at most five years, to the periodicals participating in the administration of the Agency and to press associations and trade unions |
| 3 | To lend money, for a term not exceeding two years, to members of the press such as those working intellectually or physically in the press, as determined in the regulation |
| 4 | To procure all kinds of needs of the press (such as machinery, paper and ink) |
| 5 | To assist those members of the press determined in the regulation, and those among them who are unable to work and in need of assistance, and the families of those who have died |
| 6 | To undertake all other kinds of social initiatives for those written in the sub-paragraph above |
| 7 | To perform the other duties given to it by this Law |
The last paragraph of the same provision: the Agency engages in the commercial and social activities necessary to carry out these duties. For that purpose it may also establish the necessary bodies and institutions. The Agency is competent to acquire immovable property and to undertake various dispositions of transfer, and to take and give mortgages.
Headquarters and Branches — Art. 3
The headquarters of the Agency is İstanbul. A branch is opened in Ankara, İstanbul and İzmir and in the other places where it is considered necessary. We covered the areas of authority of the branches in the branches of the Agency and their areas of authority.
Organisation — Art. 4
The organisation of the Agency consists of: a) the General Assembly, b) the auditors, c) the Board of Directors, ç) the Directorate General, d) the branches. We covered the detail in the organs of the Press Advertisement Agency.
The Amendments Brought by Law No. 7418
Law No. 7418 of 13/10/2022 made amendments to Law No. 195 bringing internet news sites within its scope:
| Provision | Amendment |
|---|---|
| Art. 5 | 2 representatives of the owners of internet news sites publishing official announcements were added to the General Assembly; the number of members was raised to 42 |
| Art. 37 | The heading became “The list of newspapers and internet news sites”; the list is announced through the websites of the Agency |
| Art. 45/A | The part on Official Announcements and Advertisements to Be Published on Internet News Sites was added |
| Art. 49 | Internet news sites were added to the sanctions provision |
| Provisional Art. 9 | The qualities and responsibilities of internet news sites to be determined by regulation within 6 months |
The Constitutional Court Annulment
We covered the effect of that annulment on the regime of withholding official announcements in how long an official announcement withholding penalty lasts.
The Power to Make Regulations — Art. 53
A regulation is made by the General Assembly of the Press Advertisement Agency to show the manner of execution of the business based on this Law. That regulation is published in the Official Gazette.
Conclusion
The Press Advertisement Agency is an institution with public legal personality, established by Law No. 195. Its headquarters is İstanbul; branches are opened in Ankara, İstanbul and İzmir and in the other places considered necessary. Its duties are listed in seven sub-paragraphs: intermediation in official announcements, credit, lending, procuring the needs of the press, social assistance, social initiatives and the other duties given by law.