Azerion maintains EU political advertising as major platforms exit

Amsterdam-based digital advertising platform Azerion announced November 27, 2025 its commitment to continue hosting political advertising across the European Union under a comprehensive transparency and compliance framework. The decision positions Azerion as one of the few major platforms maintaining political ad services after Google and Meta withdrew from the market citing operational complexity.

According to the announcement, Azerion will operate political advertising services under requirements established by the European Union's Regulation 2024/900 on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising. Most obligations under the TTPA became fully applicable from October 10, 2025, including requirements for platforms to clearly label political advertising, disclose sponsor information and spending amounts, and maintain public ad repositories accessible to regulators.

The TTPA establishes harmonized rules for political advertising across the EU's 27 member states. Platforms must disclose information about sponsors, spending, and targeting methods while maintaining publicly accessible repositories. These requirements emerged from growing concerns about foreign information manipulation and interference in democratic processes across Europe.

Major technology companies decided differently. Meta ceased allowing political, electoral, and social issue advertisements on October 6, 2025 at 6:00 PM Central European Time. The company stated in its July 25 announcement that the TTPA "places extensive restrictions on ad targeting and delivery which would restrict how political and social issue advertisers can reach their audiences."

Google announced its departure in November 2024, restricting EU political ads to narrow exemptions for official government communications only. The company identified several technical hurdles, particularly the regulation's broad definition extending beyond explicit campaign messaging to encompass issue-based advertising. Google cited "the lack of reliable local election data permitting consistent and accurate identification of all ads related to any local, regional or national election" as a major impediment.

These platform withdrawals created what industry observers characterize as a significant vacuum in Europe's digital political advertising ecosystem. Political campaigns, civic organizations, and advocacy groups lost access to advertising infrastructure that had become central to democratic engagement. Smaller parties, local campaigns, and non-governmental organizations faced particular challenges, having relied on affordable digital platforms for voter outreach.

Azerion constructed its approach around six specific commitments. The platform will verify the identity of all political advertisers, confirm their legal eligibility, and apply an internal compliance review process to flag irregular or nonconforming campaigns. All political advertisements will carry clear labels including disclosures about the sponsoring party or entity, amounts spent, and the electoral or legislative process being targeted.

The company emphasized it will not use targeting of political ads or personal data that might raise concerns about manipulation. According to the announcement, Azerion will only allow its own contextual targeting consistent with EU guidance and internal policy, maintaining strict audit trails. The platform will maintain a publicly searchable repository of all political advertisements, allowing civil society, journalists, and regulators to review who ran what, where, and when.

Azerion committed to working closely with European Commission bodies, national regulators, non-governmental organizations, and electoral oversight authorities. The platform will support non-partisan or issue-based campaigns consistent with legal definitions and transparency obligations, recognizing that issue advocacy and civic engagement remain vital to democratic function.

The European Commission released implementation guidance in 2025, providing detailed clarification on obligations for sponsors, service providers, and publishers involved in political advertising services. The guidance defines political advertising broadly to encompass "preparation, placement, promotion, publication, delivery or dissemination, by any means, of a message" under specific circumstances.

Record-keeping obligations require providers to maintain specific information for seven years after service provision ends. This includes details about the political advertisement or campaign, specific services provided, amounts invoiced, sponsor identity and contact details, and connections to elections or regulatory processes. Political advertising publishers bear additional responsibilities for labeling and transparency.

The regulation introduces strict restrictions on third-country involvement during the three months preceding any election or referendum. Political advertising services pertaining to that election can only be provided to EU citizens, non-EU citizens permanently residing in the EU with voting rights, or legal entities not controlled by third-country nationals or entities.

Azerion leverages its Hawk DSP and proprietary Azerion DMP, which enables privacy-safe, contextual audience segmentation. According to the announcement, the company is well positioned to offer scalable and compliant political ad solutions that balance precision targeting with ethical responsibility. The platform aims to rebuild trust in digital political advertising and support democratic participation during regulatory transformation.

"We believe that democratic discourse should not vanish in the face of regulatory uncertainty," stated Sebastiaan Moesman, Chief Strategy Officer at Azerion. "Our goal is to support responsible political advertising, not to evade it."

Founded in 2014, Azerion trades on Euronext Amsterdam under the ticker AZRN. The company operates as one of Europe's largest digital advertising and entertainment media platforms, bringing global scaled audiences to advertisers through proprietary technology in what the company characterizes as safe, engaging, and high-quality environments. Azerion maintains commercial teams in over 26 cities worldwide.

The advertising industry faces increasing regulatory complexity across Europe. Industry associations including IAB Europe have warned against overlapping regulatory frameworks, arguing that digital advertising already operates under comprehensive rules through the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, Digital Services Act, and General Data Protection Regulation.

Marketing professionals working on political campaigns, issue advocacy, and civic engagement face substantial operational changes. The platform withdrawals redirected digital advertising budgets to alternative channels and traditional media, raising questions about market participation balance in regulated digital political spheres. Some observers suggest the development potentially favors incumbent political organizations over challenger movements that relied on affordable digital platforms.

Azerion's continued participation ensures that political and civic actors retain access to compliant, transparent advertising infrastructure during a period when democratic discourse increasingly occurs through digital channels. The company's commitment addresses concerns that excessive regulatory complexity might eliminate digital political advertising entirely, leaving voters with fewer avenues to engage with candidates and issues.

The TTPA regulation represents the European Union's most comprehensive framework for governing political advertisements. Publishers must ensure each political advertisement displays clear labeling identifying it as political content, along with sponsor information and funding details. Platforms must maintain detailed records and provide transparency notices containing comprehensive information about advertisement funding, targeting methods, and dissemination periods.

Azerion emphasized its framework prioritizes transparency and accountability. The platform's approach focuses on democratic values, data privacy, and accountability while providing a responsible environment for political and civic advertising. The company characterized its decision as contributing to healthier and more informed public debate across Europe.

Timeline

• March 2024: European Union adopts Regulation 2024/900 on Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising establishing harmonized rules across member states
• November 2024: Google announces withdrawal from EU political advertising ahead of TTPA regulation
• July 25, 2025: Meta announces it will cease political, electoral and social issue advertising beginning October 2025
• August 2025: Google Ads API begins enforcing EU political advertising declarations
• September 3, 2025: Google implements mandatory political advertising declaration enforcement across advertising APIs
• September 22, 2025: Google campaigns declaring EU political content cease serving in European Union
• October 6, 2025: Meta prohibits political ads from running in EU at 6:00 PM CET
• October 10, 2025: TTPA regulation officially takes effect across European Union with full compliance obligations
• November 27, 2025: Azerion announces commitment to supporting transparent political advertising in Europe
• April 2026: European repository for political advertising transparency scheduled to launch

Summary

Who: Azerion, a European digital advertising platform trading on Euronext Amsterdam, announced the commitment through Chief Strategy Officer Sebastiaan Moesman. The decision affects political advertisers, civic organizations, advocacy groups, smaller political parties, local campaigns, and non-governmental organizations across the European Union's 27 member states.

What: Azerion committed to hosting political advertising under a comprehensive framework including strict verification and vetting of advertisers, full transparency by design with clear labeling and sponsor disclosures, prohibition of targeting and personal data use, maintenance of an open ad repository for public access, ongoing collaboration with regulators and civil society, and support for issue-based and debate advertising. The platform will leverage its Hawk DSP and Azerion DMP for privacy-safe, contextual audience segmentation.

When: The announcement came November 27, 2025, following the October 10, 2025 effective date for most TTPA regulation obligations. The commitment occurs after Google's September 22, 2025 cessation of political ads and Meta's October 6, 2025 prohibition of political, electoral and social issue advertisements across its platforms.

Where: The commitment applies across the European Union's 27 member states and associated territories governed by Regulation 2024/900 on the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising. Azerion, headquartered in Amsterdam with commercial teams in over 26 cities worldwide, will maintain political advertising services throughout EU jurisdictions where major competitors withdrew.

Why: Azerion characterized the decision as addressing a responsibility to contribute to healthier and more informed public debate after major global platforms withdrew from political advertising due to operational complexity and legal uncertainty. The company aims to ensure that political and civic actors retain access to compliant, transparent advertising infrastructure, preventing the complete elimination of digital political advertising in Europe and supporting democratic participation during regulatory transformation.