Azerion, a leading European digital advertising platform, has adopted a framework of full transparency, compliance, and integrity when hosting political advertising. The move, which is in line with the European Union’s new legal requirements governing political advertising, underlines the company’s commitment to contributing to healthier and more informed public debate.

In March 2024, the European Union adopted Regulation (EU) 2024/900 on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (“TTPA”), which establishes harmonised rules for political advertising across member states.

Most obligations under the TTPA became fully applicable from 10 October 2025, including requirements for platforms and publishers to:

●     Clearly label political advertising;

●     Disclose information about sponsors, spending, and targeting methods; and

●     Maintain public ad repositories accessible to regulators and the public.

Some major global platforms have decided to withdraw from this space due to operational complexity and legal uncertainty, as seen in recent announcements to stop accepting political, electoral, or "social issue" ads in the EU from October 2025. We believe there remains an essential need for trustworthy, transparent platforms that support open political discourse.

Amid this evolving landscape, Azerion is taking a proactive stance, building systems and policies to ensure responsible political advertising remains possible in Europe.

Azerion’s approach to political advertising

Azerion aims to provide a responsible and transparent environment for political and civic advertising, upholding democratic values, data privacy, and accountability. Its framework is built on five key commitments:

Strict verification and vetting: Azerion will verify the identity of all political advertisers, confirm their legal eligibility, and apply an internal compliance review process to flag any irregular or nonconforming campaigns.

Full transparency by design: All political advertisements will be clearly labelled, including disclosures about the sponsoring party or entity, the amount spent, and the electoral or legislative process being targeted; all fully aligned with TTPA requirements.

No targeting and use of personal data: Azerion will not use targeting of political ads and or use personal data that might raise concerns about manipulation. The platform will only allow its own contextual targeting that is consistent with EU guidance and internal policy, with strict audit trails.

Open ad repository and audit access: Azerion will maintain a publicly searchable repository of all political advertisements, allowing civil society, journalists, and regulators to review who ran what, where, and when.

Ongoing collaboration with regulators and civil society: Azerion will work closely with European Commission bodies, national regulators, NGOs, and electoral oversight authorities to ensure alignment with evolving guidance, best practices, and technological standards.

Support for issue-based and debate advertising: Recognising that issue advocacy and civic engagement are vital to democracy, Azerion will support non-partisan or issue-based campaigns consistent with legal definitions and transparency obligations.

The withdrawal of major platforms from political advertising creates a significant vacuum in Europe’s digital ecosystem. Azerion’s continued participation ensures that political and civic actors, including smaller parties, local campaigns, and NGOs retain access to compliant, transparent advertising infrastructure.

Leveraging its Hawk DSP and proprietary Azerion DMP which enables privacy-safe, contextual audience segmentation, Azerion is well positioned to offer scalable and compliant political ad solutions that balance precision targeting with ethical responsibility.

By prioritising transparency and accountability, Azerion aims to rebuild trust in digital political advertising and support democratic participation in a time of regulatory transformation.

"We believe that democratic discourse should not vanish in the face of regulatory uncertainty. Our goal is to support responsible political advertising, not to evade it." — Sebastiaan Moesman, chief strategy officer, Azerion

"Transparency, verifiability, and responsible targeting are not optional for political ads in the digital era; they are imperatives. Azerion will lead by example." — Deniz Karagöz, data protection officer, Azerion

Azerion

Azerion (EURONEXT: AZRN) is a leading full-service digital advertising partner for brands, agencies, and publishers. Through our omnichannel capabilities, we drive continuous business growth by curating and connecting scalable, addressable custom aud...

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