European Union: Adopted Council approach on Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising including authority designation

On 13 December 2022, the Council of the European Union adopted its general approach on the Regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising. The Regulation outlines transparency obligations concerning political advertising, including advertising displayed on online platforms, mobile applications, websites, games and other digital interfaces. Under the Regulation, Member States will be required to designate one authority competent to enforce the Regulation. Investigations into the compliance with the Regulations provisions will be conducted in the Member State where the provider is established. In cases where the provider is established in more than one Member State, it will be under the jurisdiction of the State where it has its main establishment. The competent national authorities will collaborate in cases of cross-national infringement of the dispositions set out in the Regulation. In case of non-compliance, providers of political advertising services face a fine of up to 4% of the annual income or the worldwide turnover. The negotiations on the proposed Regulation will start after the Parliament issues its position.