The European Parliament has moved to restart a previously rejected plan for mass scanning of private communications (“Chat Control 1.0”), using an urgent procedural step ahead of Thursday’s vote.

The move followed an earlier parliamentary rejection of extending the interim arrangement that allowed (under limited conditions) scanning of private chats. Supporters pushed for reopening the file via a special urgent procedure, which could accelerate a substantive decision to the final plenary day before summer recess.

At the Thursday stage, the Council’s position can only be amended or overturned if an absolute majority of Parliament’s members vote against it (described as requiring 361 votes). If that threshold is not met, the measure would be adopted automatically, without an affirmative “yes” vote from those opposing it.

The procedural timeline matters because fewer lawmakers are typically present on the last sitting day before the recess, and the arithmetic can shift against opponents. Critics and some officials described the move as unusual and “unprecedented,” pointing to the fact that the question is being voted on again after earlier parliamentary decisions.

Supporters justify the rush as addressing a “legal gap” after the interim derogation expired, while opponents argue that the reopening delays movement toward a different, more targeted framework for child protection online—one based on detection orders for suspects rather than blanket scanning—and that keeping the old status quo effectively preserves the most invasive approach without forcing governments to defend it on the merits.