The European Commission has proposed new rules for broadcasters that would exclude product placement from children's programmes, news, current affairs shows and documentaries.
The proposal also would limit advertising to 12 minutes an hour and said films, children's programmes, current affairs and news should not be interrupted by adverts more than once every 30 minutes.
"I am confident that we will now achieve political agreement on the new 'Audiovisual Without Frontiers' Directive by the end of May," the EU's Information Society Commissioner Viviane Reding said in a statement.
The Commission wants to update rules for broadcasters which have been in place since 1989 to catch up with new developments such as "on-demand" programmes, changing viewing habits and technologies such as programmes downloaded to mobile telephones.