Record notealongside the series Who Decides?
The trilogue on the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation at the European Parliament in Brussels, 16 April 2026: Parliament, Council presidency and Commission at one table. Photo: European Parliament, © European Union 2026, Source: EP, Alain Rolland (cropped).
The week’s news on Chat Control 2.0 came from the press: on 22 October MLex reported that national officials are set to examine compromise texts on 3 November, ahead of political talks on 8 December.
What happened
- 19 October: Sweden’s Speaker gave Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist of the Centre Party an exploratory mandate on forming a government, with a report due by 26 October (Riksdag).
- 20 October: the Council convened its police working party on “a possible detection package” and its justice and home affairs counsellors on the state of play (CM 4513/26, CM 4514/26).
- 20 October: Romania’s Parliament invested Luca Niculescu’s government by 280 votes to 58 (Euronews).
- 22 October: MLex reported those dates, citing recent texts, and, citing two Irish presidency papers, that negotiators are exploring compromises on searching non-public content after Parliament lawmakers signalled flexibility on targeting specific users (MLex). Brussels Record set out what is public about the “possible detection package”.
- By 25 October: Patrick Breyer, a former MEP who campaigns against the regulation, lists 8 December on his Chat Control page as the “seventh and potentially final trilogue negotiation” (Breyer).
What did not happen
- No outcome of the meetings of 20 October has been published, and both papers, WK 15701/26 and WK 15702/26, remain not public (Council register).
- The Council has published neither date reported by MLex.
- The Commission’s list of organisations under Regulation (EU) 2026/1881, due on 1 October, is still not on its page.
- No government changed its position.
Coming up
- Monday 26 October, 10:00: Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist reports to the Speaker, Andreas Norlén (Riksdag).
- Tuesday 3 November: national officials are set to examine compromise texts, according to MLex.
- Early November: the Council’s deadline to answer our request of 15 October for both papers (our note).
- 8 December: political talks, according to MLex, and the seventh trilogue, according to Patrick Breyer; not confirmed by the Council.
The count
Nine governments are on record against mandatory scanning of private messages, with 32.9 % of the EU population, 2.1 points short of the more than 35 % that blocks a Council vote (governments page).
Sources
- Sveriges riksdag, notice of 19 October 2026 on the exploratory mandate, and “Talmannen tar emot rapport från Elisabeth Thand Ringqvist (C)”, 23 October 2026.
- Council of the EU, notice of meeting CM 4513/26 and convocation CM 4514/26, both of 9 October 2026, for 20 October 2026.
- Euronews, report of 21 October 2026 on the swearing-in of the Niculescu government.
- MLex, “Online providers may see EU lawmakers soften demands for private CSAM searches”, 22 October 2026.
- Patrick Breyer, “Chat Control”, timeline, checked 25 October 2026.
- Council of the EU, public register, interinstitutional file 2022/0155(COD), checked 25 October 2026.
- European Commission, Migration and Home Affairs, legal framework to protect children, checked 25 October 2026.
- Brussels Record, “Chat Control: a ‘possible detection package’ on the Council’s agenda, and nothing published”, 22 October 2026, updated 25 October 2026.
- Brussels Record, “Where the 27 governments stand”, as of 25 October 2026.
