Only Hungary votes against new rules on political ads aimed to counter misinformation

A deal between the Council of EU Member States and the European Parliament on a draft regulation to strengthen the transparency of political advertising was reached by the end of February and voted on in the Council on Monday.

And the table of the voting results shows quite clearly that

Hungary was the only country to vote against it, but it was still passed because there was no unanimity requirement, a qualified majority sufficed.

The Council said in a statement that it adopted a new regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising, aimed at countering information manipulation and foreign interference in elections.

The regulation will make it easy for citizens to recognise political advertisements, understand who is behind them and know whether they have received a targeted advertisement, so that they are better placed to make informed choices.

"It will also ensure that political advertising takes place in full respect of the right to privacy and that the freedom of opinion and freedom of speech are protected," it explains.

Main elements of the new regulation:

The new rules cover the transparency and targeting of political advertising in relation to an election, referendum, or a legislative process at EU level or in a member state. They do not affect the content of political advertisements nor other aspects of political advertising, such as the conduct of political campaigns, which remain subject to the specific national rules of member states.

Content under editorial responsibility, as well as views expressed in a personal capacity, are not covered.

According to the rules:

• Political advertisements must be made available with a transparency label and an easily retrievable transparency notice. These must clearly identify political advertisements as such and provide some key information about them, including their sponsor, the election or referendum to which they are linked, the amounts paid, and any use of targeting techniques.
• Targeting political advertising online will be permitted only under strict conditions. The data has to be collected from the data subject and it can be used only after the data subject have given explicit and separate consent for its use for political advertising. Special categories of personal data, such as data revealing racial or ethnic origin or political opinions, cannot be used for profiling.
• To prevent foreign interference, there will be a ban on the provision of advertising services to third country sponsors three months before an election or referendum.

Next steps

The regulation will now be signed, published in the EU’s Official Journal and enter into force 20 days later. Most of its provisions will start to apply 18 months after the regulation’s entry into force, i.e. in autumn 2025.

This June's EP elections will not yet be affected by the new rules, but they will be in force for the Hungarian parliamentary elections in spring 2026.

Cover photo: Getty Images