The European Association of Communications Agencies (EACA) is rolling out a three-part program aimed at tightening standards in Influencer Marketing across the continent, anchored by a new Influencer Marketing Council tasked with setting common rules.

The council will be chaired by Thomas Angerer, co-founder and Chief Creative Officer of BeInfluence Europe. Its membership draws from major holding companies and agencies, including John Harding Easson of Influential (Publicis), Ainoa Brenes of Samy, Emma Odendaal of Dentsu, Miguel Vara of McCann, Iulia Boncan of MCI Group, and Steffen Pferr of Innocean.

“Creator marketing has grown up faster than the frameworks around it, and this Council is our chance to close that gap together,” Angerer said, adding that the group intends “to make Europe the global reference for how creator marketing should be done.”

Beyond setting standards, the council will conduct pan-European research and surveys, publishing recommendations for brands, agencies, and creators. EACA has also published a companion resource, the “Influencer Marketing Rules Across Europe – A Practitioner’s Guide for EACA Members,” consolidating EU legislation, national requirements, and country-specific developments into a single reference document.

The third element of the program targets creators directly: EACA is pushing for wider adoption of training on ad-disclosure rules, arguing that agencies and advertisers should require some form of certification from creator partners before signing them.

The push is grounded in complaint data. The European Advertising Standards Alliance, which represents 28 national advertising standards bodies, found that Influencer Marketing content accounts for 22% of all complaints filed against online ads, with at least half tied to disclosure failures or the legality of the advertising itself.

“As Influencer Marketing is being trusted with greater budgets, more agencies and advertisers are leaning into the channel to deliver results for their clients,” said EACA CEO Charley Stoney, “and we want to assist them in ensuring they deliver not just great results but also the right behaviours and public declarations of partnership.”

EACA represents more than 2,500 communications agencies across nearly 30 European countries.

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