EU Political Ads: Google’s New Rules & What Marketers Must Do

Search and display advertising rarely stands still – but occasionally the ground shifts beneath our feet. This August Google quietly announced that it will stop serving political ads in the European Union ahead of October’s Transparency & Targeting of Political Advertising regulation (TTPA). It also rolled out fresh API updates that require advertisers to declare when campaigns contain EU political content. If you manage Google Ads for European audiences, you need to pay attention.

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Why Google is pulling EU political ads

Politics and privacy rules don’t always play nicely with automation. In November 2024 Google said it would stop serving political advertising in the EU before a new regulation takes effect. The company has spent years adding transparency to election ads – advertisers must verify their identity, disclose who paid for the ad and label synthetic media. However the TTPA’s broad definition of “political advertising” and the lack of reliable data to identify local elections make compliance tricky. In short, Google decided it would rather pause these ads than risk breaching the rules.

This doesn’t just affect candidates. Brand advertisers dabbling in issue‑based messaging could find their campaigns swept up by the new rules. If you’re targeting voters in any of the 27 Member States with creative that touches on policy, you may soon be out of luck.

What the API changes mean

On 7 August the Google Ads developer team released version 21 of the Google Ads API. Hidden among the usual performance tweaks was a new contains_eu_political_advertising field for the Campaign object. You must set this field to declare whether your campaign includes EU political content. The options are:

  • CONTAINS_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING – declare this and Google will automatically stop your ads serving in the EU from 22 September 2025.
  • DOES_NOT_CONTAIN_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING – your campaign isn’t political and will continue to run as normal.
  • UNSPECIFIED – leave it blank and you risk errors when modifying targeting or launching new campaigns.

From 3 September 2025 the API and Google Ads scripts will enforce the new field. Attempts to create a campaign without a declaration will fail, and you won’t be able to change location targeting on existing campaigns until they’re updated. Although the field exists in older API versions v19.2 and v20.1, upgrading to v21 is recommended for other reasons. The release also introduces AI Max for Search campaigns, which use machine learning to expand keyword targeting, generate ad creatives and route users to the most relevant landing page.

Action steps for advertisers

Here’s how to stay compliant and competitive:

  • Audit your campaigns – Identify any ads that could be interpreted as political. If in doubt, assume a broad definition.
  • Set the declaration – Update campaigns via the Google Ads UI or API to specify whether they contain EU political content. Future campaign creation should always include this field to avoid errors.
  • Prepare for a blackout – Political campaigns will be automatically paused in EU territories from late September. Plan to shift budgets to issue‑neutral creative or other channels.
  • Upgrade your tooling – Even if your ads aren’t political, upgrading to Google Ads API v21 gives you access to AI Max for Search and improved search term views.
  • Monitor performance – Changes in ad visibility could affect reach and conversions. Keep a close eye on your metrics and be ready to adjust bids or creative.

FAQs

When will Google stop serving political ads in the EU?
Google has announced it will stop serving political advertising in the European Union ahead of the new transparency and targeting rules taking effect in October 2025. The Google Ads API documentation notes that campaigns flagged as containing EU political advertising will stop serving from 22 September 2025.

Does the new field apply to all campaigns?
Yes. If you create campaigns via the UI, API or scripts, you must declare whether they contain political content. Campaigns without a declaration may still serve, but you won’t be able to modify location targeting until the field is set.

Will my non‑political campaigns be affected?
No. Campaigns marked as non‑political or left unspecified will continue to serve in the EU. However it’s best practice to update all campaigns to avoid future enforcement issues.

What is AI Max for Search?
AI Max for Search is a new setting in Google Ads that uses machine learning to broaden keyword targeting, generate ad creatives and send users to the most relevant landing page. Enabling it could improve reach and conversions, especially as AI‑driven search evolves.

For more on how AI is reshaping search and SEO, read our guide on AI Search & SEO: How to Optimise Your Site for Generative Search.