Commentary

Belgium Introduces Bill to Regulate Influencer Marketing, Ban Counterfeit Product Promotion

Published on September 4, 2026

A draft bill introduced in the Belgian Chamber of Representatives on August 27 would require influencers to label sponsored content and prohibit them from advertising counterfeit, unsafe, or otherwise prohibited products.

As reported by Digwatch, the legislative proposal applies existing EU and Belgian rules on unfair commercial practices and advertising, found in the Belgian Code of Economic Law, directly to Influencer Marketing activity. The bill defines that activity as any case in which a person uses their popularity with followers, in exchange for consideration, to offer online content that directly or indirectly promotes a good, service, or other matter.

Under the bill, any promotional post must carry a clear, legible, and recognizable label reading either “Advertisement” or “Commercial partnership,” visible for the full duration of the content. Influencers or their agents would also be required to disclose the actual supplier of a promoted product, confirm the product is actually available for purchase, and verify that it meets EU and Belgian standards, is not counterfeit, and is not subject to advertising restrictions.

Violations would be subject to the penalties already set out in the Code of Economic Law for breaches of unfair commercial practices and advertising provisions. The bill’s text points to young consumers as the primary buyers of counterfeit goods, and states that social media advertising is accelerating that trend.

The proposal will now move to committee review before a plenary vote. If passed, it would take effect February 1, 2027.

Belgium’s bill follows regulatory moves already made by two other European countries. France passed its Influence Act in 2023, and Spain issued a Royal Decree in 2024 addressing Influencer Marketing and digital advertising. Both measures target the blurring of sponsored content and organic recommendation, particularly for audiences who may not distinguish the two.

The pattern suggests that individual EU member states are moving ahead of any unified bloc-wide framework, each adapting existing consumer protection and advertising law to cover influencer activity rather than waiting for new EU-level legislation specific to the format.