EACA Hosts Historic EU Dialogue on Future of Advertising Policy

The European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) brought together senior media agency leaders from across EMEA for a high-level policy dialogue with European commissioner for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection, Michael McGrath. This marks the first-ever meeting of its kind facilitated by EACA, signalling a new chapter of collaboration between the agency sector and the EU policymaking community.

Held at the heart of the EU quarter in Berlaymont, the commissioner welcomed a delegation from the global media agency groups including GroupM (WPP), Publicis Media, Havas Media Network, Omnicom Media Group, IPG and dentsu.

At the core of the discussion with Michael were critical concerns like regulatory overreach under the proposed Digital Fairness Act. Agencies highlighted advertising’s economic value, citing a Deloitte study showing that every €1 spent generates €7 for the EU economy. They called for smarter enforcement of existing rules and early industry involvement to ensure future policies reflect real-world business practices and uphold consumer trust.

Johan Boserup, chair of EACA’s media agencies council and global CEO of investment at Omnicom Media Group, stated, “Through EACA’s Media Agencies Council, we are uniquely positioned to bring collective industry insights from every corner of Europe, and we felt it was important to demonstrate to Michael that we as an industry are ready and eager to co-create policies that support innovation, consumer trust, and economic resilience. This unprecedented meeting for EACA signals that our expertise, our advice, and our commitment to responsible, transparent advertising are being valued at the highest level”.

​Charley Stoney, CEO of EACA, commented, “This meeting is of huge value to the EACA and its’ members across Europe. It gave us the opportunity to communicate the value of our industry, share our concerns, and reinforce our commitment to being constructive partners in shaping effective, future-proof regulation in the new legislative. The scale and energy of this group proves our industry is indispensable to Europe’s economic and societal fabric”.

In addition to meeting with Michael, the EACA meeting of media agency leaders was joined by Krisztina Stump, head of media convergence and social media at DG CONNECT (European Commission) who shared her view on the Code of Conduct on Disinformation, which was co-signed by the EACA. She was followed by Financial Times EU Correspondent, Barbara Moens, who spoke eloquently, and provided the group with sharp insights on the geo-political climate impacting European politics and business right now.

The day concluded with a guided tour of the European Parliament, underscoring EACA’s commitment to active and informed policy engagement on behalf of the 120.000 professionals and the over 2.500 agencies it represents across Europe.