A Note on the Proposed Law for Improving the Transparency of Political Advertising in the European Union

Abstract

There is an increasing supply and demand for political advertising throughout the world. At the same time, societal threats, such as election interference by foreign governments and other bad actors, continues to be a pressing concern in many democracies. Furthermore, manipulation of electoral outcomes, whether by foreign or domestic forces, continues to be a concern of many citizens who are also worried about their fundamental rights. To these ends, the European Union (EU) has launched several initiatives for tackling the issues. A new regulation was proposed in 2020 also for improving the transparency of political advertising in the union. This short commentary reviews the regulation proposed and raises a few points about its limitations and potential impacts.