EU Launches Pilot Repository for Online Political Ad Transparency
The European Commission launched a pilot version of the European Repository for online political ads on 12 October 2026, with voluntary use ahead of official deployment.
The story in focus
The European Commission launched the pilot version of the European Repository for online political advertisements on 12 October 2026. The repository will store transparency notices on political ads, including sponsor and funding details. Use is voluntary until official deployment, when obligations under the Political Advertising Regulation will apply.
- The pilot European Repository for online political ads is available for voluntary use from 12 October 2026.
- The repository will store transparency notices covering sponsors, funding sources, spending and targeting techniques.
- Obligations related to the repository will apply only from the date of its official deployment, to be announced in advance.
Pilot repository opens for voluntary use
The European Commission has launched the pilot version of the European Repository for online political advertisements. According to the Commission, the repository is intended to make information about political ads publicly available and easy to access.
The pilot is available for voluntary use from 12 October 2026. The Commission stated that the date of official deployment will be announced on its website sufficiently in advance to allow publishers to prepare. Obligations relating to the repository will become applicable only from that official deployment date.
What the repository will contain
The repository will store transparency notices for political advertisements. These notices are to provide information on who is behind an advertisement, including the sponsor, controlling entity and paying entity, as well as amounts spent on the advertisement and the wider campaign.
The notices will also include information on the source and origin of funding, whether public or private and whether from inside or outside the Union, the dissemination period, and the use of targeting or ad-delivery techniques based on personal data, including meaningful information on the use of AI systems for targeting or ad-delivery.
The Commission said the repository will allow users to identify advertisements, access permanent URLs where available, and consult the information contained in transparency notices.
Implementation dialogue scheduled
Commissioner Michael McGrath will host an Implementation Dialogue on the application of the Political Advertising Regulation on 4 November in Brussels. The Commission said the dialogue will allow stakeholders to exchange views with the Commissioner, share initial experiences with the Regulation, and explore measures to support, facilitate and improve its application.
The Commission also said a Network of national contact points serves as a platform for regular exchange of information, best practices and structured cooperation between competent Member State authorities and the Commission on all aspects of the Regulation. An Expert group of providers of political advertising services has been established to monitor and collect practical feedback on the Regulation's application.
When will the repository's transparency obligations become binding for publishers?
Only from the date of the repository's official deployment, which the Commission will announce sufficiently in advance on its website. Until then, use of the pilot version is voluntary.
Sources & further reading
- The Commission launches a repository for transparency information on online political ads ↗commission.europa.eu
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