Spain holds 10.86 % of the EU population. Its government supports mandatory scanning of private messages, or the widest scanning scope in Council, since 10 Jun 2026.
Supports Last checked 11 October 2026
Resumen en español
Según este registro, el Gobierno de España es favorable a la detección obligatoria en los mensajes privados y defiende en el Consejo un ámbito de aplicación lo más amplio posible. En septiembre de 2025 respaldó plenamente el texto con órdenes de detección obligatorias. En noviembre de 2025 propuso una obligación de detectar al menos en los espacios públicos y, según actas del Consejo publicadas por netzpolitik.org, consideró que las medidas obligatorias seguían siendo necesarias. En junio de 2026 indicó que solo renunciaría a la detección del ciberembaucamiento de menores (grooming) si el Parlamento Europeo cediera.
En diciembre de 2022, el ministro del Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, señaló que el reglamento obliga a los proveedores de servicios a detectar contenidos de abuso sexual infantil en las comunicaciones cifradas. España votó a favor del mandato de negociación del Consejo el 26 de noviembre de 2025 y de Chat Control 1.0, el regreso del escaneo voluntario, en julio de 2026.
El 9 de julio de 2026, 16 eurodiputados elegidos en España votaron a favor de rechazar Chat Control 1.0 y 37 en contra del rechazo. El responsable es el ministro del Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska. España representa el 10,86 % de la población de la UE.
Resumen a 10 de octubre de 2026. Prevalece el registro en inglés que figura a continuación, con una fuente para cada dato.
What the government has said
“The regulation obliges service providers to detect this content in encrypted communications.”Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska, ministry press release, 7 December 2022, translated from Spanish
Fully supported the mandatory text (Sept 2025) and proposed a duty to detect at least in public spaces (Nov 2025). Will drop grooming only if Parliament gives ground (June 2026).
How it voted in the Council
- Negotiating mandate, 26 November 2025
- yes The Council position adopted in Coreper: voluntary scanning only, no detection orders. Coreper does not publish votes; the split was reported the same day by the Czech news agency CTK.
- Chat Control 1.0, 23 July 2026
- yes The vote that brought back the temporary rules: voluntary scanning of private messages allowed until 3 April 2028.
A government can oppose mandatory scanning and still vote for the voluntary regime. The two are listed separately for that reason. Council votes need 15 states with 65 % of the population; four states with more than 35 % block.
How its MEPs voted
On 9 July 2026 the European Parliament voted on a motion to reject the Council text that brought back voluntary scanning, Chat Control 1.0. Rejection needed 361 votes and got 314, so the text passed. Of the 60 MEPs elected in Spain, 16 voted to reject it, 37 voted against rejection, 0 abstained and 7 did not vote.
- 16 for rejection, that is against voluntary scanning
- 37 against rejection, letting the text pass
- 0 abstained
- 7 did not vote
The government line above concerns mandatory scanning; this vote concerned the voluntary regime. They are different questions, which is why both are shown. Source: roll-call vote 195775 as published by the European Parliament and compiled by HowTheyVote.eu; all 27 delegations side by side on the governments page.
Who decides in Spain
- Minister
- Fernando Grande-Marlaska, Minister of the Interior; his ministry gave the line of 7 Dec 2022. Justice sits with Félix Bolaños, Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes
- Ministry in charge
- Ministry of the Interior
- Permanent representation
- Ambassador Marcos Alonso Alonso, Permanent Representative (Coreper II, since 21 Jul 2021)
Source: www.lamoncloa.gob.es/gobierno/composiciondelgobierno/paginas/index.aspx
Timeline
- Council vote on Chat Control 1.0, the temporary rules. Spain: yes.
- European Parliament votes on rejecting Chat Control 1.0; the motion fails, the text passes. MEPs elected in Spain: 16 for rejection, 37 against, 0 abstained, 7 did not vote. source
- Recorded as supports. Receipt: Council working party minutes, 12 Nov 2025 (mandatory measures ‘still necessary’), via netzpolitik.org source
- Council negotiating mandate adopted in Coreper. Spain: yes.
Sources
- Council working party minutes, 12 Nov 2025 (mandatory measures ‘still necessary’), via netzpolitik.org (receipt)
- Interior Ministry press release, 7 Dec 2022
- Council minutes, 12 Sep 2025 (full support), via netzpolitik.org
- Council minutes, 10 Jun 2026, via netzpolitik.org
- Permanent Representation of Spain to the EU, Permanent Representative
- Method: what the labels mean and where the population shares come from
This page is one of 27 records behind Where the 27 governments stand. Together the governments against hold 32.9 % of the EU population; a blocking minority needs more than 35 %.
Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0. Data for all 27: JSON · CSV. Found a mistake? Tell us; we correct openly and say what changed.
Cite as: Brussels Record, “Spain: position on Chat Control”, last checked 11 October 2026, https://brusselsrecord.com/member-states/spain/
