Meta to Cease Political Ads in EU Starting October Due to New Rules

Impact of EU Regulations on Political Advertising

By Foo Yun Chee

Meta's Response to TTPA

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -Meta Platforms will end political, electoral, social issue advertising on its platform in the European Union in early October because of the legal uncertainties due to EU rules targeting political advertising, the U.S. social media company said on Friday.

Concerns About Disinformation

Meta's announcement echoed Alphabet unit Google's decision announced last November, underscoring Big Tech's pushback against EU rules aimed at reining in their power and making sure that they are more accountable and transparent.

Future of Advertising in the EU

The European Union legislation, called the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation and which will apply from Oct. 10, was triggered by concerns about disinformation and foreign interference in elections across the 27-country bloc.

The EU law requires Big Tech companies to clearly label political advertising on their platforms, who paid for it and how much as well as which elections are being targeted or risk fines up to 6% of their annual turnover.

"From early October 2025, we will no longer allow political, electoral and social issue ads on our platforms in the EU," Meta said in a blog post.

"This is a difficult decision - one we've taken in response to the EU's incoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation, which introduces significant operational challenges and legal uncertainties," it said. 

Meta said TTPA obligations create what it said is an untenable level of complexity and legal uncertainty for advertisers and platforms operating in the EU.

It said the EU rules will ultimately hurt Europeans.

"We believe that personalised ads are critical to a wide range of advertisers, including those engaged on campaigns to inform voters about important social issues that shape public discourse," Meta said.

"Regulations, like the TTPA, significantly undermine our ability to offer these services, not only impacting effectiveness of advertisers' outreach but also the ability of voters to access comprehensive information," the company added.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Editing by Charlotte Van Campenhout)