Where does each EU country stand?
The Council publishes few country-by-country records on this file. The clearest is its July 2026 vote on the temporary scanning rules: 25 in favor, Hungary against, Belgium abstaining.1
- In favor
- Against
- Abstained
The Council vote of 23 July 2026 on Regulation 2026/1881. Select a country for its row. Checked 29 October 2026 against the sources.
All 27 governments
The vote is on the temporary rules, not the permanent regulation. The last column holds what a government has put on the official record, or said publicly, about Chat Control.
| Country | July 2026 vote | Share of EU population | On the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | In favor | 2.03% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Belgium | Abstained | 2.63% | Abstained on the temporary rules. |
| Bulgaria | In favor | 1.42% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Croatia | In favor | 0.86% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Cyprus | In favor | 0.22% | Held the Council presidency for the trilogues of February to June 2026.2 |
| Czechia | In favor | 2.42% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Denmark | In favor | 1.32% | Held the Council presidency in late 2025. Proposed dropping detection orders on 30 October 2025.3 |
| Estonia | In favor | 0.30% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Finland | In favor | 1.24% | Nothing in the records we read |
| France | In favor | 15.18% | Backed the temporary rules but put on record its "serious concern" about the exclusion of encrypted communications, calling the wording "very broad".1 |
| Germany | In favor | 18.47% | Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig, 8 October 2025: Germany will not agree at EU level to proposals that force messengers to scan messages en masse before sending.4 |
| Greece | In favor | 2.30% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Hungary | Against | 2.11% | The only vote against the temporary rules. On the November 2025 mandate it said the text was not "significant progress" and it had asked for "a much more ambitious mechanism".5 |
| Ireland | In favor | 1.20% | Held the Council presidency for the September 2026 trilogue.2 |
| Italy | In favor | 13.19% | November 2025: welcomed removing detection orders, but objected to letting providers carry out mass scanning without checks, and proposed limiting voluntary detection mainly to known material.5 |
| Latvia | In favor | 0.41% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Lithuania | In favor | 0.64% | Takes over the Council presidency after Ireland.2 |
| Luxembourg | In favor | 0.15% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Malta | In favor | 0.13% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Netherlands | In favor | 4.02% | November 2025: said making voluntary detection permanent is "a high risk" and that it would not support the partial mandate.5 |
| Poland | In favor | 8.29% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Portugal | In favor | 2.38% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Romania | In favor | 4.21% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Slovakia | In favor | 1.21% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Slovenia | In favor | 0.47% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Spain | In favor | 10.85% | Nothing in the records we read |
| Sweden | In favor | 2.34% | Nothing in the records we read |
This page reports votes and statements. It is not legal advice and does not rate any government.
How to read this
How a Council vote is counted
A qualified majority needs at least 55% of member states, 15 of 27, representing at least 65% of the EU's population.1 That is why the position of the largest countries weighs so much.
On the temporary rules, the 25 governments in favor represented 95.26% of the population.1
The vote that is not on this page
EU ambassadors agreed the Council's mandate for the permanent regulation on 26 November 2025.2 The official record of that meeting holds statements by Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands, but no country-by-country result.5
We only list votes the Council itself has published. The full timeline
Sources 5
- 12382/26, voting result and statement by France, written procedure completed on 23 July 2026, Council of the EU. Read 29 October 2026.
- 13051/26, overview of current legislative proposals under the Irish Presidency, 29 September 2026, Council of the EU. Read 29 October 2026.
- 14032/25, Presidency note to Coreper, 30 October 2025, Council of the EU. Read 29 October 2026.
- Statement by Federal Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig, 8 October 2025 (German), Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection. Read 29 October 2026.
- 15993/25 ADD 1, statements by Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands on the partial mandate, Coreper of 26 to 28 November 2025, Council of the EU. Read 29 October 2026.
Only official records and government statements, checked again and dated. How we check