New EU Rules Reveal €225,000 Spent on Irish By-election Ads
New EU rules are increasing transparency in Irish political advertising, revealing €225,000 spent on two recent by-elections. The TTPA regulation requires detailed disclosure of ad spending, impacting both digital and non-digital campaigns. While parties are establishing transparency portals, challenges remain regarding compliance support, data accessibility, and independent candidates, highlighting the need for better infrastructure to ensure democratic accountability.
New EU regulations are transforming political ad transparency in Ireland, revealing €225,000 spent on advertising for two recent byelections as of last week. This marks the first time real-time spending figures have been available, contrasting with previous general election spending, where parties collectively spent about €10 million in 2024, with Fine Gael alone spending €3.2 million.
The Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising Regulation (TTPA), introduced by the EU eight years after the Trump and Brexit online manipulation scandals, mandates tech platforms to create online libraries of political ads and requires ad sellers to publish detailed data within 48 hours. While some tech companies initially banned political ads in the European market, the TTPA applies to both digital and non-digital campaigns, including posters, leaflets, and newspaper ads. This has led to significant new compliance work for political parties.
At least eight Irish parties have established transparency portals on their websites, detailing expenses such as Independent Ireland's four ads in the Connaught Tribune for Noel Thomas at €369 each, Labour's €196.80 on «Helen Ogbu High Vis Vests», and Fine Gael's €14,144 on posters for Ray McAdam. However, parties face challenges with compliance, citing limited support and concerns about being scrutinized for adhering to rules their rivals might ignore. The data produced is often difficult to navigate, with varying formats from sophisticated portals to blog posts, and many websites lack machine-readable data.
The system also poses difficulties for hundreds of Independent candidates in Irish elections, many of whom lack the resources or skills to comply. To improve democratic accountability, the Electoral Commission could provide templates and tools, and introduce data standards to make information more accessible for journalists and the public. These byelections serve as a trial, and building better infrastructure now is crucial to understanding money's role in politics and avoiding issues seen in the US and UK.