The oversight of political advertising in all EU countries is governed by the Regulation on Political AdvertisingAvautuu uuteen välilehteen. The purpose of the regulation is to improve the transparency of political advertising and to establish clear rules for the targeting of political advertising online. In Finland, the EU regulation is supplemented by national legislation on the supervision of the regulationAvautuu uuteen välilehteen.
The National Audit Office oversees compliance with the Regulation on Political Advertising in Finland and cooperates with other authorities responsible for oversight: the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom)Avautuu uuteen välilehteenand the Data Protection OmbudsmanAvautuu uuteen välilehteen. In addition, the National Audit Office cooperates with the oversight authorities monitoring compliance with the regulation in other EU member states.
The National Audit Office of Finland
- oversees compliance with the Regulation on Political Advertising within the scope of its powers and, where necessary, obliges actors to correct their activities
- provides guidance and advice on questions related to the identification and labelling of political advertising
- notifies and publishes the dates of the Finnish elections and referendums in the Commission’s election portalAvautuu uuteen välilehteen
- maintains a register of legal representatives in Finland representing political advertising service providers that are not established in the EU
- acts as the national contact point, i.e. the main supervisor of compliance with the Regulation on Political Advertising in Finland, and is part of the EU network of national contact points.