Corporate Compliance

Corporate compliance means the system of policies, procedures, and controls that a company puts in place to ensure it follows all applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards. In the context of political advertising, compliance ensures that companies meet transparency requirements, protect personal data, and avoid unlawful targeting practices under EU regulations.

Legal Basis

While "corporate compliance" is not explicitly defined in Regulation 2024/900, the regulation imposes specific compliance obligations on providers of political advertising services, sponsors, and publishers:

"Providers of political advertising services shall be required, in the three months preceding an election or referendum organised at Union level or at national, regional or local level in a Member State to only provide political advertising services to citizens of the Union, third-country nationals permanently residing in the Union and having a right to vote in that election or referendum or legal persons established in the Union which are not controlled by third-country entities."

— Recital 19, Regulation (EU) 2024/900

The regulation's transparency and due diligence obligations (Chapter II) and targeting restrictions (Chapter III) create extensive compliance requirements for businesses involved in political advertising.

Why It Matters

Corporate compliance is essential for any business involved in preparing, placing, publishing, or disseminating political advertising within the EU. The regulation establishes harmonized rules across all Member States, meaning companies must implement robust compliance systems to meet uniform transparency standards, regardless of where they operate in the Union.

Companies face significant legal and reputational risks if they fail to comply. National authorities can impose penalties for breaches of transparency requirements, while data protection authorities enforce violations related to unlawful targeting or misuse of personal data. For platforms, agencies, and publishers, non-compliance can result in fines, operational restrictions, and loss of trust from both clients and users.

A strong compliance program helps businesses navigate the complex requirements around labeling political ads, maintaining transparency notices, implementing reporting channels, and restricting targeting techniques. For multinational companies, compliance frameworks must account for both EU-level requirements and any stricter national rules that Member States may impose.

Key Points

Dual compliance track: Transparency obligations apply to all political advertising (online and offline), while targeting restrictions apply only to online ads using personal data
Record-keeping required: Companies must maintain documentation to demonstrate compliance with transparency and due diligence obligations for supervisory authorities
Cross-border harmonization: Regulation 2024/900 establishes uniform EU-wide standards, reducing fragmentation but requiring adaptation to Member State implementation
Multi-authority oversight: Compliance involves coordination with media regulators (for transparency), data protection authorities (for targeting), and Digital Services Coordinators (for online platforms)
Third-country restrictions: During the three months before elections, providers can only serve political ads to EU citizens, eligible residents, and EU-established legal persons not controlled by third-country entities
Reporting channels: Publishers must provide accessible mechanisms for users to report possible breaches of transparency requirements

Corporate Compliance vs. Regulatory Compliance

Corporate compliance is broader than regulatory compliance. Regulatory compliance focuses specifically on meeting legal requirements imposed by laws and regulations, such as Regulation 2024/900's transparency and targeting rules. Corporate compliance encompasses regulatory compliance but also includes adherence to internal policies, industry codes of conduct, and ethical standards that may exceed legal minimums.

For political advertising, regulatory compliance means meeting the specific obligations in Regulation 2024/900, GDPR, and national implementing laws. Corporate compliance includes these requirements plus internal policies on political content, enhanced due diligence procedures, staff training programs, and voluntary transparency measures that demonstrate good governance and corporate responsibility.

Related Terms

Very transparent. Every political ad will be labelled, linked to a transparency notice with detailed information, and online ads will be searchable in a central European repository.

The Network coordinates election-related cooperation between member states. National contact points for TTPA enforcement should be members of this network where possible.

Election campaigns will need to ensure all paid advertising includes proper labels and transparency notices. Sponsors must be prepared to provide required information to all service providers.

Several major platforms currently do not allow paid political advertising, including some large social networks. This limits where political actors can place paid online advertisements.

The TTPA applies from 10 October 2025. Member States had until 10 April 2025 to designate competent authorities, and the Commission must provide label templates by 10 July 2025.

Publishers must ensure completeness and accuracy of certain information but are not required to verify all sponsor claims. They must correct manifestly erroneous information when they become aware of it.

Yes. When a hosting provider and a website both display an ad, both are considered publishers with responsibility for their specific services. Contracts should clarify how they share compliance duties.

If a publisher removes or disables access to a political ad due to illegality or terms violations, they must still provide access to the transparency information for the full seven-year retention period.