Joint Industry Statement on Targeted Advertisement and the DSA

Introduction

The undersigned EU trade associations have been closely following and proactively engaging in the
legislative process of the Proposal for a Regulation on a Single Market for Digital Services (Digital
Services Act) and amending Directive 2000/31/EC.
As representatives of the wider retail sector, we believe the Digital Services Act (DSA) is of utmost
importance for retailers in Europe to be able to increasingly operate cross-border, profit from a wellfunctioning Single Market and be supported by a harmonised and futureproof legislative framework. In
particular due to the digital transformation of the industry, further accelerated by the outbreak of COVID19, we believe that European policymakers should prioritise digitalisation and facilitate the continued
uptake of digital solutions in the retail sector.
In that context, the undersigned would like to provide the perspective of the retail sector on the ongoing
discussions on targeted advertisement. Following the publication of the DSA proposal with its new
transparency obligations on online advertising, concerns have been raised about targeted advertising.
As the negotiations are advancing in the European Parliament, the discussion on targeted advertisement
has become a prominent element of the debate. Several Members of the European Parliament have
advocated for the introduction of a ban or very strong restrictions on targeted advertising.
While the undersigned associations generally support increased transparency in online advertising , we
believe a ban on targeted advertising would lead to negative consequences for both businesses and
consumers and is therefore neither justified nor desirable. The DSA is also not the appropriate
instrument to regulate online advertising.