Chat Control Secria

Chat ControlWhat's next

What happens next with Chat Control?

Negotiators have agreed most of the permanent regulation. Still open: searches and detection orders in private, non-public content. The next round is tentatively planned for December 2026.1, 2

Checked 29 October 2026 against the sources.

What is provisionally agreed

Each point is provisional until the whole text is agreed.

TopicWhere it landed
VoiceVoice calls out of scope. Voice messages in scope but excluded from detection.1
Risk assessmentOnly providers targeting children or exposed to the risk of abuse must carry one out.1
Age verificationRemoved. Negotiators agreed this regulation "was not the place to regulate age verification".1
App storesDuties for app stores designated as gatekeepers under the Digital Services Act.1
Removal and blockingRemoval orders follow the EU's rules on terrorist content online. Blocking orders are issued by a court or independent authority, or by another authority subject to review.1
EU CentreChecks providers' reports, keeps a database of indicators of known material, and searches publicly accessible content for known and new material, with safeguards.2, 3
Public contentIn principle, detection orders in public content limited to known material, as part of a package deal.2
 As of 29 October 2026.

What is still open

The September 2026 trilogue brought no breakthrough on private content. The main open issues are how targeted searches must be, and their scope.2

The Council's red lines

Searches by providers in non-public content must not be discouraged or delayed, and should cover known and new material and grooming. The presidency said end-to-end encrypted content would be excluded.2

Its mandate does not allow detection orders in private content.2

The Parliament's asks

Searches targeted more narrowly and limited to known material. Searches would only start once a full search plan has gone to a judicial or independent authority for review.2

Detection orders targeted at specific users and limited to known material, as a last resort.2

The steps left

  1. A political agreement on detection at a further trilogue. The seventh is tentatively planned for December 2026 at the European Parliament.2
  2. Technical work to turn the deal into a final legal text.
  3. The Parliament's first reading position and the Council's adoption. The file is listed as awaiting Parliament's first reading position.4
  4. Publication in the Official Journal. The law then applies from the dates in the final text, which negotiators have not yet discussed.1

Ireland held the Council presidency for the September 2026 trilogue. Lithuania holds it next.5 Separately, the temporary rules apply until 3 April 2028.6

Follow it yourself

The official record

The Parliament's Legislative Observatory file 2022/0155(COD) lists every formal step. The Council's public register publishes its documents.

Your representatives

The Parliament's directory of MEPs lists the members elected in each country, with contact details.

This page describes a law in progress. It is not legal advice.

Sources 6
  1. 11501/26, outcome of the trilogue on 29 June 2026 and next steps, 7 July 2026, Council of the EU. Read 29 October 2026.
  2. WK 15082/2026, outcome of the 6th trilogue on 29 September 2026 and way forward, 30 September 2026, Council of the EU. Read 29 October 2026.
  3. Combating child sexual abuse: rapporteur hails deal on new EU agency's tasks, 30 September 2026, European Parliament. Read 29 October 2026.
  4. Procedure file 2022/0155(COD), European Parliament Legislative Observatory. Read 29 October 2026.
  5. 13051/26, overview of current legislative proposals under the Irish Presidency, 29 September 2026, Council of the EU. Read 29 October 2026.
  6. PE-CONS 14/1/26 REV 1, Regulation (EU) 2026/1881, Article 11, European Parliament and Council. Read 29 October 2026.

Every fact here comes from the Council or the European Parliament, checked again and dated. How we check