The European Parliament is preparing a fresh vote on reviving “Chat Control 1.0,” using an urgent procedure ahead of the summer break after earlier parliamentary action blocked an extension.

The measure at the center of the dispute is tied to a time-limited exemption that allowed messaging and social media services to scan private communications for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). That exemption expired in April, and the Parliament previously rejected extending it after negotiations failed.

Now, proponents are pushing a procedural workaround that would schedule another decisive plenary vote with tighter requirements for opponents. In the current parliamentary stage (second reading), amendments or a renewed rejection would require an absolute majority of all MEPs—361 votes—making it harder for opponents to stop the reinstatement if attendance drops close to the recess. Supporters argue the move is needed to address a perceived legal “gap,” while critics describe it as an attempt to bypass the normal legislative process.

Alongside the renewed fight over “Chat Control 1.0,” negotiations continue over a longer-term framework intended to replace it. That “Chat Control 2.0” track is focused on shifting from broad, indiscriminate scanning toward a more targeted approach, including measures aimed at suspects and stronger enforcement mechanisms—though talks are ongoing and described as stalled by governments’ insistence on retaining voluntary, indiscriminate scanning.

The coming vote is therefore framed as both a procedural contest and a referendum on whether the EU returns to an expired mass-scanning model for private chats, rather than finalizing a new permanent system after the summer break.