Democratic integrity: New EU rules for political advertising take effect today

From today, all political ads must clearly disclose who paid for them, how much, and whether they are targeting a specific audience.

The regulation, which is in application in full from today, 10 October, sets common EU standards for the transparency of political advertising. It does not ban political advertising, nor does it regulate the content of political ads. Personal views, political opinions, such as any unsponsored journalistic content, or communication on the organisation and participation in elections by official national or EU sources are not impacted.

Quote

Parliament’s lead negotiator on the file Sandro Gozi (Renew, FR) said: “This regulation establishes a single European framework, the first of its kind, designed to serve as a global model for ensuring fairer elections, protecting citizens from abuses from the use of their personal data and strengthening democratic resilience in the face of foreign interference. It is Europe's response to the Cambridge Analytica scandal: after the massive manipulation that undermined our democracies, the European Union is now putting in place a robust system to prevent similar abuses from happening again.

“Recently however, Google and Meta have announced they will halt all political, electoral and even social issues advertising across the European Union rather than comply with the new rules. This decision carries far-reaching consequences: it deprives citizens, parties and associations of legitimate and transparent channels of communication, and once again illustrates the attitude of certain major platforms - prioritising their economic interests over respect for democratic rules. In Europe however, democratic rules are not optional. Suggesting that it is possible to circumvent the law and avoid the responsibilities incumbent upon any actor operating in our market is simply unacceptable,” he added.

“Freedom of expression must never become freedom to manipulate or a tool for disinformation. It is time for platforms to assume their responsibility in safeguarding our electoral processes. The regulation we are implementing today is clear: protecting the public interest and democracy takes precedence over the profits of digital giants.

“The European Union is sending a strong signal, reaffirming its commitment to building a democratic, safe and open digital space where every citizen can make an informed choice at the ballot box. After the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, Europe is first in establishing a comprehensive European framework for online political advertising, promoting transparency, digital sovereignty and the defence of our democratic values,” he concluded.

Background

The new rules, which were adopted by Parliament in February 2024, aim to enhance citizens’ trust in election campaigns and address challenges related to the rise of disinformation, foreign interference and advanced targeting techniques. A high level of transparency in political campaigns is essential to ensure a fair debate and elections, and informed democratic participation.

On 8 October 2025, the Commission published guidelines to support political actors and providers of political advertising services in applying the new rules. They will be discussed in the next meeting of the Internal Market and Consumer Protection committee on 16 October.