Google will cease serving political advertising in the European Union (EU) starting September 8, 2025, in anticipation of new regulations. From this date, the Display & Video 360 API and Structured Data Files (SDFs) will enforce requirements for self-declaration regarding EU political ads. Users must update their applications to comply with these changes to avoid service interruptions.
Key Changes
- Self-Declaration Requirement: Advertisers must declare if a line item will serve EU political ads when created. This can be done at both the line item and advertiser levels.
- API Updates: The containsEuPoliticalAds field has been added to the LineItem and Advertiser objects in the Display & Video 360 API. The values for this field are:
- CONTAINS_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING: The resource will serve EU political ads.
- DOES_NOT_CONTAIN_EU_POLITICAL_ADVERTISING: The resource will not serve EU political ads.
Actions Required
- For New Line Items: Every new line item must include a valid declaration using the containsEuPoliticalAds field.
- Advertiser Level Declaration: Setting this field at the advertiser level will apply to new line items unless specified otherwise.
- API Method Updates: Users must update their API methods to include the containsEuPoliticalAds field when creating or duplicating line items, or when updating geography targeting.
Structured Data Files (SDF)
- SDF v9 Launch: The new version adds a Contains EU Political Ads column to line item files, using YES or NO for declarations.
- Migration: Users are encouraged to migrate to SDF v9 as earlier versions (v7.1, v8, v8.1) will be deprecated by March 2026. Starting September 8, 2025, SDF v9 will be required for uploading files.
Additional Steps
- For advertisers not serving EU political ads, declaring at the advertiser level is sufficient.
- If unable to declare at the advertiser level, users must ensure compliance with the new requirements before the enforcement date.
