What are the email marketing best practices and GDPR requirements for EMEA countries like Poland, Turkey, Romania, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia, and Estonia?
Michael Ko
Co-founder & CEO, Suped
Published 11 Jul 2025
Updated 18 Aug 2025
8 min read
Navigating the complexities of email marketing in the EMEA region, especially across countries like Poland, Turkey, Romania, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Latvia, and Estonia, requires more than just a general understanding of data protection. While the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) sets a foundational standard for data privacy across the European Economic Area (EEA), specific local nuances and mailbox provider behaviors significantly influence deliverability and compliance. My goal is to shed light on these regional particularities, ensuring your email campaigns are both effective and legally sound.
The GDPR applies to any organization processing personal data of EU/EEA residents, regardless of the organization's location. This means if you're sending emails to recipients in any of these EMEA countries that fall under the GDPR, compliance is mandatory. The core principles revolve around lawful basis for processing, data minimization, transparency, and data subject rights. Failure to adhere can lead to substantial penalties and significant damage to your sender reputation.
GDPR foundations for EMEA email marketing
For email marketing, the cornerstone of GDPR compliance is consent. This means obtaining clear, unambiguous, and informed consent from recipients before sending marketing communications. While some regulations, like PECR in the UK, allow for a 'soft opt-in' for existing customers, the safest approach for new subscribers across EMEA is explicit consent. This directly impacts email deliverability and sender reputation, as spam complaints from unconsented emails can quickly land you on a blocklist (or blacklist).
Many email marketers consider double opt-in to be the gold standard for GDPR compliance, even if not explicitly mandated by the regulation itself. It provides undeniable proof of consent and significantly reduces the risk of spam complaints and the chances of hitting spam traps. This practice helps maintain a healthy email list and a positive sending reputation.
Beyond consent, transparency is key. Your privacy policy should clearly state how you collect, process, and store personal data, and how recipients can exercise their rights, such as the right to access, rectify, or erase their data. This also includes the right to object to processing and the right to data portability. For more detailed requirements, the official EU GDPR guidance is an invaluable resource.
Local nuances and mailbox providers in EMEA
While GDPR provides a unified framework, individual countries in EMEA, particularly those with strong local internet service providers (ISPs), can have specific email delivery challenges and expectations. In Hungary, Freemail.hu is a dominant local provider, and in the Czech Republic, Seznam.cz holds significant market share. These providers often employ their own unique filtering mechanisms, which can be more stringent than global giants like Gmail. Being aware of these local players is crucial for optimizing your deliverability.
Poland, in particular, has a strong landscape of local email providers, including the wp.pl group (which includes o2.pl), onet.pl, interia.pl, and gazeta.pl. These providers may have specific requirements or even offer premium delivery services for high-volume senders, especially those using dedicated IPs. If you are facing deliverability issues, contacting their postmasters directly after reviewing your bounce codes is often necessary. Detailed information on how to improve email delivery to Polish users can be quite valuable.
Understanding the filtering behavior of these local ISPs is paramount. Unlike the more standardized approaches of global providers, local ISPs may have unique algorithms or historical data that influence how they treat incoming emails. This emphasizes the need for continuous blocklist monitoring and active engagement with their postmaster tools if issues arise.
Country
Prominent Local ISPs
Considerations
Poland
Onet.pl, wp.pl, interia.pl, gazeta.pl
May require premium delivery for high volumes on dedicated IPs. Strict local laws may apply.
Significant local market share, potentially stricter filtering.
Utilizing local postmaster tools
For countries with prominent local providers, registering with their respective postmaster tools is highly recommended. For instance, Seznam.cz in the Czech Republic offers a tool to provide insights into your email delivery performance to their users. These tools can offer valuable data on your sender reputation, complaint rates, and more, helping you proactively address any issues.
Compliance and content considerations
Beyond general GDPR rules, specific content and footer requirements may vary. In Poland, some organizations have adopted the practice of including extensive data protection clauses directly within every email. While some legal professionals suggest this is unnecessary if a comprehensive privacy policy is linked, it's a practice worth noting and verifying with local legal counsel. The key is to ensure the recipient can easily find information about data processing and their rights.
Generally, every email marketing message sent in EMEA should include fundamental elements like your company's physical address, legal name, and a clear, easy-to-use unsubscribe link. Providing a subscriber's email address in the footer can also be a good practice for transparency and user convenience. These elements reinforce trust and compliance, reducing the likelihood of your emails being marked as spam or hitting a blocklist.
Be cautious about over-stuffing your emails with legal boilerplate. While compliance is critical, excessively long disclaimers or legal texts can negatively impact your email's readability and potentially trigger spam filters, regardless of its legal adherence. A balance must be struck between comprehensive information and user experience. Always link to your full privacy policy, making it readily accessible.
In-email legal text
Compliance: Some organizations, particularly in Poland, opt to include extensive data protection clauses directly in the email body, based on specific legal interpretations or advice.
Pros: Immediate visibility of legal obligations and data processing information for recipients.
Cons: Can increase email size, potentially impacting deliverability and user engagement. May appear as spammy or overly formal.
Linked privacy policy
Compliance: Most common and recommended approach, linking to a comprehensive and up-to-date privacy policy on your website.
Pros: Keeps emails concise and focused on marketing content, improving readability. Easier to update legal text without changing email templates.
Cons: Requires recipients to click a link to access full legal details.
Technical aspects and authentication
Effective email deliverability in EMEA also hinges on robust technical setup. This includes implementing and maintaining strong email authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. These protocols verify that your emails are legitimate and prevent spoofing and phishing attempts, which are critical for building and maintaining trust with ISPs and recipients. For example, starting with a DMARC policy in monitoring mode (p=none) allows you to gather data without impacting delivery.
Monitoring your domain and IP reputation is continuous work. Regularly check major blocklists (or blacklists) to ensure your sending infrastructure hasn't been flagged. Utilize postmaster tools provided by large email service providers like Google to gain insights into your email performance and identify potential issues early. Consistent monitoring helps you address problems before they significantly impact your campaigns.
Handling bounces correctly is another critical technical best practice. Not all bounces mean the same thing, and understanding the bounce codes can guide your next steps. For instance, a soft bounce might indicate a temporary issue, while a hard bounce requires immediate removal of the address from your list. If you're encountering persistent issues with a specific ISP, directly contacting their postmaster with relevant bounce codes can often provide clarity and resolution.
Implementing DMARC provides a robust framework for email authentication, helping to protect your brand from phishing and spoofing. It gives you visibility into how your domain is being used, allowing you to gradually enforce policies that instruct receiving mail servers on how to handle emails that fail authentication. This not only improves your deliverability but also enhances trust with your recipients.
Tailoring your strategy for EMEA success
Email marketing in EMEA's diverse landscape requires a multifaceted approach. From ensuring strict GDPR compliance, especially regarding consent and data subject rights, to understanding the unique behaviors of local mailbox providers in countries like Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic, every detail matters. Proactive monitoring of your sender reputation and robust email authentication are non-negotiable. By tailoring your strategy to these specific regional demands, you can significantly improve your email deliverability and achieve greater success in these markets.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always prioritize explicit, opt-in consent for all subscribers, especially in GDPR-governed countries, and consider using double opt-in.
Regularly audit your email list for inactive subscribers and remove them, as this helps maintain a healthy sender reputation and reduces risk of spam traps.
Ensure your email footers contain full company details: legal name, physical address, and a clear, easy-to-find unsubscribe link.
Implement and monitor email authentication protocols (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) rigorously to prevent spoofing and improve trust.
Leverage postmaster tools from major ISPs and local providers (like Seznam.cz) for insights into your email performance and potential issues.
Common pitfalls
Assuming one-size-fits-all GDPR compliance without checking specific national regulations or local ISP requirements.
Ignoring bounce codes or failing to contact postmasters for non-standard providers, missing crucial deliverability insights.
Including excessive legal text directly in every email, which can increase email size and negatively impact deliverability.
Failing to adapt content and sending practices for local linguistic and cultural preferences, reducing engagement.
Not maintaining accurate and up-to-date privacy policies, leading to compliance gaps and potential legal issues.
Expert tips
Focus on segmenting your audience by region to tailor content and compliance messaging more effectively for each specific country.
Regularly clean your email lists to remove inactive users and unengaged subscribers, improving your overall sender reputation.
Actively participate in local industry forums or communities to gain real-time insights into regional email deliverability trends and challenges.
Consider engaging local legal counsel for specific advice on countries with stricter data protection interpretations or unique requirements.
Ensure your unsubscribe process is instantaneous and hassle-free, adhering to legal timeframes for unsubscribe requests.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that Poland can be quite strict, and they include extensive legal text in every email, right after the sign-out section, but advise checking with a local lawyer.
2022-02-09 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that a high percentage of users in Hungary and the Czech Republic use non-standard mailbox providers like Freemail.hu and Seznam.cz, which have their own filtering rules.
2022-02-09 - Email Geeks
Driving deliverability in diverse EMEA markets
For email marketers operating in EMEA, success hinges on a dual focus: strict adherence to GDPR principles and a deep understanding of country-specific email ecosystems. This includes obtaining proper consent, maintaining transparent data practices, and adapting to the unique technical and content requirements of local ISPs in countries like Poland, Turkey, and the Czech Republic. By combining global compliance with local sensitivity, you can ensure your email campaigns are both effective and respectful of regional regulations and user expectations.
Gmail. Being aware of these local players is crucial for optimizing your deliverability.
wp.pl group (which includes o2.pl), onet.pl, interia.pl, and gazeta.pl. These providers may have specific requirements or even offer premium delivery services for high-volume senders, especially those using dedicated IPs. If you are facing deliverability issues, contacting their postmasters directly after reviewing your bounce codes is often necessary. Detailed information on how to improve email delivery to Polish users can be quite valuable.
Onet.pl, wp.pl, interia.pl, gazeta.pl
