The Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) puts up for public debate the rules for promoting, distributing, publishing or editing political advertising materials used in the presidential election campaign.
The draft decision was developed by an inter-institutional working group made of representatives of the National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM), the National Audiovisual Council (CNA), the National Cybersecurity Directorate (DNSC), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), the Ministry of Interior (MAI), the AEP and the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD).
AEP mentions that, in order to develop the project, the working group had consultations including with representatives of non-governmental organizations.
„We specify that the Emergency Ordinance No. 1/2025 is currently in Parliament, in the adoption procedure, so that the legislative body has the possibility to analyze, modify or supplement it, as appropriate,” AEP reports.
According to the project, for a material to be considered political advertising material, it must meet, cumulatively, the following conditions: to be prepared, edited, processed, placed, promoted, published, distributed and/or broadcast in the electoral campaign by a political actor; to be a written, printed, audio, video or image material, regardless of the dissemination medium; to urge voters directly or indirectly to choose or not to choose, to vote or not to vote for an independent candidate or a candidate of a political party, political alliance, organization of citizens belonging to national minorities or of an electoral alliance, clearly identified.
Communications that fall within the limits of the journalistic activity of informing the public do not constitute political advertising materials, the draft stipulates.
The production and dissemination of political advertising materials under conditions other than those provided for by Law no. 334/2006, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions, Law no. 370/2004 for the election of the president of Romania, republished, with subsequent amendments and completions, and by GEO no. 1/2025 is prohibited.
Regardless of the distribution medium, including radio and television programmes, as well as on-demand audiovisual media services, during the electoral campaign for the 2025 Romanian Presidential elections, political advertising materials distributed by political actors must contain the following information:
– an indication that they represent political advertising material;
– the candidate or political party at whose request or on whose behalf the political advertising material is prepared, placed, promoted, published, distributed or broadcast, respectively the name and e-mail address, as well as the candidate’s postal address, when it is public, or the address of the headquarters, in the case of political parties;
– a mention that the political advertising material has been the subject of techniques for targeting a target audience or distributing advertising materials, within the meaning of art. 3 point 11 and 12 of Regulation (EU) 2024/900 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 March 2024 on transparency and targeting of political advertising, where applicable;
– a statement that the amounts spent on the preparation, placement, promotion, publication, distribution or dissemination of political advertising material come exclusively from sources permitted by Law no. 334/2006, republished, as amended and supplemented;
– where applicable, a statement that the political advertising material was the subject of an electoral promotion or a paid electoral promotion;
– the unique identification code of the financial representative registered with the Permanent Electoral Authority in accordance with art. 34 paragraph (13) of Law no. 334/2006, republished, as amended and supplemented.
AGERPRES
