Online political campaigning: The Dutch code of conduct and lessons for Europe

The Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) are hosting an online roundtable on online political campaigning. SNV project director Julian Jaursch will be part of the panel discussing online political advertising and will share experiences from SNV’s participation in the initiative “Campaign Watch”. The initiative is driven by a coalition of 21 organizations from civil society and academia and calls on German political parties to develop and adhere to a code of conduct for fair digital campaigning.

Please find further information from International IDEA below and sign up using the link.

In the run-up to the Dutch parliamentary elections of 17 March 2021, threats to online political campaigns emerged, related to microtargeting, (foreign) funding, disinformation and lacking transparency by tech giants.

The Dutch Ministry of the Interior responded by establishing a code of conduct on online political advertising between online platforms and political parties, in collaboration with International IDEA.

Three months after the Dutch parliamentary elections, retrospective insights can help to assess the online political campaigns and the efficiency of the Dutch code of conduct.
They can also help to draw lessons for electoral campaigns in other countries, as well as help regulating and monitoring efforts at the national and EU levels.

Germany is preparing for Bundestag elections on 26 September 2021 and in France, political parties have started to draw attention to the upcoming digital campaigns for the presidential elections in 2022.

The EU plans to release new rules and guidelines for online platforms, political advertisement and disinformation by the end of the year.

Experiences of the Dutch and German elections will be shared in a dynamic panel discussion between representatives of political parties, online platforms and experts who scrutinize online campaigns.
The following questions will guide the panel discussion:

• How did online political advertisements influence the Dutch elections?
• What is expected for the German election campaign and which actions are needed to address existing risks?
• What lessons can be drawn for other countries with upcoming elections?

Keynote Presentation

• Drs Ellen van Doorne, Director Democracy and Governance, Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations

Video Address

• Ms Věra Jourová, Vice-President of the European Commission for Values and Transparency

Panel debate
Moderator: Marilyn Neven, Programme Manager, Europe Programme, International IDEA

• Dr Tom Dobber, Postdoctoral Researcher Political Microtargeting, University of Amsterdam
• Mr Benjamin Buurman, Digital Marketing Manager, D66
• Johannes Baldauf, Public Policy Manager, Facebook Germany
• Dr Julian Jaursch, Project Director, Stiftung Neue Verantwortung

Closing Address
Protecting the 2022 French Presidential Elections in the Online Sphere

• Mr Sandro Gozi, Member of the European Parliament