On 5 August 2026, social partners and consumer organisations within Belgium's Central Economic Council (CEC) published an opinion on influencer marketing. Their finding: barely 1 in 5 content creators clearly discloses sponsored posts. Here is what this opinion changes for companies working with influencers.
1. A sector with no clear framework, in Belgium or Europe
In its opinion of 5 August 2026, the CEC's special advisory committee on consumption regrets the lack of a specific framework for influencer marketing, both in Belgium and at European level. A 2024 European study confirms it: barely a fifth of content creators clearly mention their commercial partnerships. The committee demands that every commercial partnership be labelled as such, including on short formats like Instagram stories, visible for only 24 hours.
2. Rules that vary from one region to another
In Flanders, influencers doing advertising must already display two mandatory keywords on their post. Other Belgian regulators are less strict, and industry players propose a different type of notice. The council calls on influencers, agencies, brands and platforms to work with Belgian regulators to create a single, uniform label, instead of this patchwork of rules.
3. Kidfluencers and contracts: two grey areas to close
The opinion also points to the lack of a clear legal status for "kidfluencers", minor influencers who produce sponsored content without access to a business status. Another proposal: a standard European contract with fixed clauses between advertisers, agencies and influencers, to clarify everyone's responsibilities. France has applied this obligation since the start of 2026 for any collaboration above €1,000.
4. The Belgian government already in motion
Federal Digital Minister Vanessa Matz welcomed the opinion, saying it reinforces work she started in 2023 and that is now part of the government agreement. Since 2 August 2026, new transparency obligations under the AI Act already apply to identifying AI-generated or AI-modified content, including when an influencer uses it for commercial promotion. The council wants to be involved in discussions on the EU's Digital Fairness Act (DFA) and in the federal government's work on the topic.
The AI lens, humans first
The council also calls for a European label for any use of AI in a sponsored post: generating a visual or a voice with AI does not remove the need to disclose it. For a brand, the point is not to give up AI tools in influencer campaigns, but to keep human oversight on what gets published, under which name, and with which disclosure. AI can generate content. Expertise decides whether it needs disclosing, and how.
This week
Review your partnerships with influencers or content creators: every sponsored story, reel or post needs a clear label ("Ad", "Paid partnership"), including on 24-hour formats. Also check that your contracts spell out who is responsible if something goes wrong.
At Vistalaro, advertising campaign management (Vistalaro Reach) already builds in good practice on sponsored-partnership transparency. Strategic guidance (Vistalaro Pilot) tracks how this regulatory framework evolves, so your campaigns stay compliant without you having to decode the legal jargon alone.
Are your influencer campaigns ready for this new framework?
Let's review your current partnerships together, and the disclosures to add.
Let's talk- BX1, Le Conseil central de l'économie appelle à des mesures pour mieux réguler les influenceurs
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- La Libre (Belga), Le Conseil central de l'économie appelle à des mesures pour mieux réguler les influenceurs