Google Bans Political Ads in EU Ahead of New Transparency Rules
Google has announced sweeping changes to its political advertising policy in the European Union. The new rules, set to take effect in late 2025, represent a significant shift in how politico campaigns can use Google's platforms.
Starting September 3, 2025, advertisers must declare if their campaigns contain EU political content using Google's API. Those that do will stop serving ads in the EU from September 22, 2025. This follows Google's decision to prohibit political advertising as defined by EU Regulation 2024/900 across all its platforms, including Google Ads and YouTube.
The changes align with the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which comes into force on October 10, 2025. This regulation aims to enhance transparency, restrict targeting, and ensure cross-border compliance in politico advertising across the EU. Google's move follows a trend of major platforms exiting EU politico advertising markets due to operational challenges and legal uncertainties introduced by the TTPA.
Only official public communications from EU institutions and member states will be allowed to run political ads on Google's platforms in the EU. Advertisers seeking to run such communications must apply through Google's policy help center, with the process taking up to 5 business days. Google's decision affects its global advertising infrastructure, which previously generated significant revenue from politico advertising in EU election cycles.
