Brussels, 24 August 2022
DRAFT OPINION on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on transparency and targeting of political advertising
EP Committee on Culture and Education
MEPs Sabine Verheyen
SHORT JUSTIFICATION
On 25 November 2021, the European Commission published its legislative proposal for a regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising, which aims to introduce a legal framework to ensure a high level of transparency of political advertising and related services.
Overall, the Rapporteur welcomes the proposal but would like to suggest a series of amendments in order to clarify certain provisions related to the dissemination of political advertising through offline media forms and in order to ensure a consistent approach between offline and online service providers of political advertising.
In addition, the Rapporteur highlights the interlinks and complementarities between the new proposal and the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) and the need to safeguard the freedom of expression and right to information.
Finally, regarding the governance aspects, the proposed regulation does not necessarily provide for the creation of any additional authorities or bodies at Member State level as these tasks could be entrusted to relevant competent national authorities, in particular, those already playing a role under the field of media regulation. However, the Rapporteur aims to clarify certain cooperation mechanisms between all the authorities involved in order to try to mitigate future enforcement challenges.