🇪🇺 EU Political Advertising Rules: What You Need to Know and How GDR Can Help

Fundamental Changes

The EU’s Regulation 2024/900, effective 10 October 2025, introduces strict rules on transparency and geographic targeting for political advertising.

At GDR, we’ve digested these changes and distilled them into actionable insights for marketers and agencies.

These rules fundamentally change how campaigns can target voters. 

For anyone running political ads in the EU, it’s essential to understand what is and isn't allowed. No worries! We have boiled it down into a clear, manageable solution.

“Ensuring transparency is a legitimate public goal, in line with EU values,” says the Regulation. This highlights why precision targeting in political advertising is now tightly restricted.

Takeaways: Broad Targeting Only

The rule is simple: sub-city precision is off-limits.

Only country, region, or city-level targeting is allowed. This applies to all platforms and providers - DSPs, SSPs, data providers, and publishers alike. 

Even aggregated, modelled, or non-personal data cannot bypass the rule.

GDR’s Services Are Even More Valid

While GDR's micro-targeting and geo-segmentation data cannot be used for political campaigns, we continue to provide solutions that deliver value:

• City- and region-level audience analysis

• Macro geo planning, identifying where support or interest is strongest

• Contextual and demographic advisory

• DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) placement analysis, targeting by screen location rather than individual profiles

Why is DOOH a Compliant Option?

DOOH campaigns rely on screen locations, not individual audiences, making them fully compliant with EU rules. 

With GDR, political advertisers can:

• Rank DOOH screens by regional demographics

• Score cities and sub-regions at regional resolution

• Plan campaigns strategically using macro-maps

• Tailor messaging per city or region

This approach keeps campaigns effective, efficient, and compliant, even without micro-targeting.

Stay Transparent, Stay Compliant

Under EU Regulation 2024/900, political campaigns must target city-level or broader, avoid inferred or modelled micro-segments, and use DOOH placement analysis for geo-sensitive messaging.

For GDR’s role, it means a shift from precision activation to strategic location planning, helping our clients navigate the regulatory landscape while still achieving impactful reach.

Planning a compliant political campaign?

Contact us and let's talk about how GDR’s DOOH placement analysis and geo insights can optimise your strategy. We have your answers!

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GDR - Where Performance Meets Principles

Reach us:

gunnar.kihl@globaldataresources.io & goran@globaldataresources.io