Manifesto for the New European Commission & the European Parliament 2019 - 2024
In the context of the EU elections in 2019, EACA shared our vision for better policy-making with those that would soon come into power. We remain committed to our message and believe that these principles will stand the test of time and remain valid at least until if not beyond the current legislative period.
Principles for better policy-making
- Evidence-based policy-making:
- Principle-based, technology-neutral, future proof:
- Stakeholder involvement:
Before creating new or updating existing rules and regulations, there must be evidence that such action is indeed required. Any impact assessment must be objective, comprehensive and inclusive. It should analyse the potential impact of regulations on all relevant sectors and take into account the views of all relevant stakeholders and experts. Public consultations can provide helpful insights but should never be considered a representative snapshot of the EU’s public opinion.
Rather than being overly prescriptive, policy should be principle-based. This gives flexibility to those who have to implement it, which often comes along with significant financial, administrative and technical burdens. Given rapid technological developments and the largely proprietary nature of technical solutions, policy should not prescribe the use of specific technologies.
Given the increasing technical complexity of issues policy-makers need to deal with, it is imperative to consult and involve practitioners into the debates as early as possible and on a regular basis. Academic insights are invaluable but cannot be the sole driver of the EU’s largely digital future.
EACA represents:
Messages to policy-makers
EACA calls on policy-makers to:
- Foster innovation, creativity and investment:
- Recognise the value of ad-based business models:
- Uphold advertising self-regulation:
- Promote fair business relations and a level-playing field:
- Help train and retain talent:
The EU’s digital future is going to be data-driven. Big Data, the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence are only some examples. It is important that companies have access to and can use such data in a responsible way to develop new and creative services and applications. They need a robust framework and certainty to justify long-term investments.
Many services, applications and content that consumers enjoy daily are funded through advertising – including quality journalism. Sometimes access is conditional upon the use of certain types of data as a value exchange. The responsible and transparent use of data is pivotal to the ad industry and is driver of success and employment.
The advertising industry can look back on decades of successful self-regulation (SR). Responsible advertising is ensured through robust and coherent codes of conduct, a complaint-handling mechanism and effective sanctions administered by a network of self-regulatory organisations. The effectiveness of advertising SR is recognised in key EU Directives such as the recently updated Audio-Visual Media Services Directive. Any future legislation should give SR the proper recognition and the space to thrive for the benefit of European consumers, industry and regulators.
Advertising and media agencies work closely with and invest heavily in platforms when placing ads online. They must be able to rely on fair, transparent and balanced trading practices. To maintain a trust-based relationship, platforms must be transparent, e.g. when it comes to sharing metrics with their advertising clients. This is essential for agencies to objectively assess the effectiveness of campaigns and consider investment decisions.
The creative industry contributes significantly to growth and jobs in Europe. However, access to creative talent is not always easy. While the industry engages in various education and training programmes (such as EACA’s “Inspire”), policy-makers should support such efforts by facilitating the recognition of qualifications and enhancing mobility for employees within and beyond Europe.