Corrective Measures

Corrective measures are actions that supervisory authorities or the Commission can require sponsors, providers, or publishers of political advertising to take when they fail to comply with the Regulation on transparency and targeting of political advertising. These measures aim to bring non-compliant parties back into compliance and may include fines, orders to cease violations, or requirements to implement specific changes to their practices.

Legal Basis

"The competent authority shall have the power to adopt decisions requiring sponsors, providers of political advertising services and publishers of political advertising to comply with the obligations laid down in this Regulation and to take corrective measures to remedy identified infringements, including the power to impose fines."

— Article 20, Regulation 2024/900

Why It Matters

Corrective measures are the enforcement backbone of the political advertising transparency framework. When sponsors fail to label ads properly, providers use prohibited targeting techniques, or publishers don't maintain required transparency notices, supervisory authorities can step in with binding orders to fix the violations.

These measures affect everyone in the political advertising ecosystem. Political parties may be ordered to provide missing transparency information. Platforms may face requirements to implement better labeling systems. Data processors may be required to stop using certain personal data for targeting. The measures are designed to be proportionate to the severity of the infringement, ranging from warnings and compliance orders to significant financial penalties.

For businesses providing political advertising services across multiple EU Member States, corrective measures create a compliance incentive. Authorities can require not just immediate fixes but also structural changes to prevent future violations, such as implementing new internal controls or modifying algorithmic systems that deliver political ads.

Key Points

Supervisory powers: National competent authorities and the Commission have explicit powers to order corrective action when they identify violations of transparency or targeting rules
Range of measures: Corrective action can include warnings, compliance orders, operational changes, periodic penalty payments, and administrative fines up to specified limits
Proportionality requirement: Authorities must ensure corrective measures are proportionate to the nature, gravity, and duration of the infringement
Structural remedies: Measures can require systemic changes to business practices, not just fixes to individual violations
Cross-border cooperation: When violations affect multiple Member States, authorities coordinate through mutual assistance mechanisms to ensure consistent enforcement
Appeal rights: Recipients of corrective measures have the right to judicial review under national law

Corrective Measures vs. Preventive Obligations

Corrective measures respond to violations that have already occurred, while preventive obligations are proactive requirements that all actors must follow from the start. Preventive obligations include labeling all political ads, maintaining transparency notices, and only using permitted targeting techniques. Corrective measures come into play when these preventive obligations are breached.

While preventive obligations are the same for all actors in the same category (all publishers must label, all sponsors must provide information), corrective measures are tailored to the specific violation. An authority might order one platform to fix its labeling system while requiring another to stop a prohibited data processing practice entirely.

Aspect	Preventive Obligations	Corrective Measures
Timing	Ongoing compliance duty	After violation detected
Scope	Apply to all actors	Tailored to specific infringement
Purpose	Prevent violations	Remedy non-compliance
Authority	Self-implemented	Imposed by supervisory authority

Related Terms

Competent Authority
Enforcement Mechanisms
Administrative Fines
Compliance Obligations
Supervisory Authority
Periodic Penalty Payments
Transparency Notice
Targeting Techniques
Provider of Political Advertising Services
Cross-border Cooperation

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.