Political party

A political party is an organized group of people who share common political goals and beliefs, and who work together to influence public policy and gain political power, typically through elections. In the context of the TTPA regulation, political parties are recognized as political actors subject to transparency and targeting rules when they sponsor or publish political advertising.

Legal Basis

"'political actor' means any of the following:
(a) a Union institution, office, body or agency, or a national, regional or local authority or body, or a public office holder thereof, or a candidate for such public office;
(b) a political party at Union or Member State level, including at regional or local level, or an elected representative thereof, or a candidate or prospective candidate for such representation;
(c) an association or other organisation or entity set up mainly for a purpose which is related to an election, referendum or regulatory process, including the organisation of and support for one or more political parties or other political actors, or campaigning and conducting advocacy or lobbying to influence the outcome of an election, referendum or regulatory process"

— Article 2(5), Regulation 2024/900

Why It Matters

Political parties are among the most common sponsors of political advertising in the EU. When a political party pays for advertising to influence voting behavior, election outcomes, or legislative processes, it must comply with the TTPA regulation's transparency requirements. This includes clearly labeling advertisements, providing transparency notices about who paid for the ad, and following strict rules when using personal data for targeting.

Political parties at all levels—European, national, regional, and local—fall under the definition of "political actor" in the regulation. This means they are subject to the same obligations whether they are advertising for European Parliament elections, national elections, or local campaigns. The regulation recognizes that political parties play a central role in democratic processes and therefore places them at the heart of the transparency framework.

When political parties sponsor advertising, they must work with publishers and platforms to ensure proper labeling and disclosure. If they use targeting techniques based on personal data, additional restrictions apply, including limitations on using certain sensitive data categories and requirements for valid legal basis under GDPR.

Key Points

• Political parties at EU, national, regional, and local levels are all considered "political actors" under the TTPA regulation
• When sponsoring paid political advertising, parties must ensure transparency labels and notices are displayed
• European political parties have special protections against discrimination when accessing cross-border advertising services
• Political parties must comply with strict targeting rules if they use personal data to target or deliver online political ads
• Parties are responsible for providing accurate sponsor information to publishers and platforms
• Internal political communications (such as posts on a party's own social media without paid promotion) may be treated differently than paid advertising

Political party vs. Political actor

While all political parties are political actors, not all political actors are political parties. The term "political actor" is broader and includes elected officials, candidates, government bodies, and associations whose main purpose relates to elections or regulatory processes. Political parties are specifically organized groups registered or recognized at EU or Member State level.

The key distinction matters for compliance: political parties as organizations must ensure their advertising activities comply with TTPA requirements, but individual candidates or elected representatives who are party members are also political actors in their own right. When a candidate advertises on behalf of themselves rather than their party, they—not the party—are the sponsor and must meet the obligations accordingly.

Related Terms

• Political actor
• Sponsor
• Political advertising
• European political party
• Candidate
• Provider of political advertising services
• Publisher
• Transparency notice
• Targeting techniques
• Internal activity