EU guidelines on political-ads regulation
The European Commission has published guidelines aimed at supporting the effective implementation of new rules on the transparency and targeting of political advertising (TTPA).
The , which comes into effect fully on 10 October, sets common EU standards of transparency for political advertising both online and offline.
Under the regulation, all political ads will have to be clearly labelled and accompanied by some basic information about who paid for them and how much, and whether they are targeted toward a specific audience.
Oversight
The commission says that include practical guidance and detailed explanations to help those in politics and providers of political-advertising services to apply the new rules.
They also aim to support member states' authorities in their oversight functions.
The EU body says that the regulation does not ban political advertising, nor does it regulate the content of political ads.
Self-declaration
“The regulation is based on a system of truthful self-declaration by those who are buying political-advertising services,” it states.
“By disclosing relevant information about political ads, the new rules will allow citizens to form their own opinions about the content they see and make informed choices,” it adds.
In line with the new rules, the commission has set up through which member states provide the dates of their elections, as well as a portal listing established outside the EU but registered in a member state.