New EU rules come into force today to set common standards in the internal market for the transparency and targeting of political advertising, enabling citizens to detect messages that seek to influence their opinions and political decisions.

These rules promote open democratic dialogue and free, fair and stable elections.

From now on, it must be clearly stated whether an ad is political and state who paid for it, at what price, which electoral or legislative process it is linked to, and whether it is targeted.

A notification mechanism for problematic ads will also be put in place, and all political ads online will be stored in an online ad repository. The regulation also limits the misuse of personal data.

In order to protect European democratic processes from outside interference, advertising sponsorships from non-EU countries will be prohibited three months before an election or referendum.

Vice-President for Values ​​and Transparency Ms. Viera Jourova said: “The new legislation makes political advertising more transparent and provides stronger protection against external interference and manipulation. It will be easier for voters to identify paid content, know who paid for it and how the ad was targeted.”

Justice Commissioner Didier Reyders added: “Well-informed and responsible citizens are not only the foundation but also the driving force for a thriving democracy. The new rules on political advertising will help citizens navigate the political sphere and safeguard the transparency of elections in Europe.”

The rules will come into effect immediately, including in the 2024 European Parliament elections, as well as in advertisements by political actors that aim to influence elections and other democratic processes. The regulation requires service providers to provide their political advertising services anywhere within the EU, regardless of the member state in which the advertiser is established. This provision recognizes the special role of European political parties and political groups of the European Parliament in the context of campaigning at European level. The remaining provisions of the regulation, including transparency obligations for service providers, specific rules on data protection and the supervisory regime, will be implemented from 9 October 2025. The Commission will work with users and policy providers advertising, regulators and other relevant actors to promote compliance with the new rules.

Lena Flitzani