The European Parliament rejected a Commission proposal to retain the current temporary exemption from e‑Privacy rules that allows service providers to voluntarily identify online child sexual abuse content. The motion passed with 228 votes in favour, 311 against, and 92 abstentions, ending the extension of the scheme that had already been renewed in 2024.
The proposal would have kept the existing measures in place while negotiations continued on a long‑term legal framework for preventing and combating online child abuse. Instead, the Parliament’s own position calls for a shorter extension, lasting only until August 2027, and demands a more narrowly defined scope to ensure the measures remain proportionate and targeted. Because talks with the Council stalled, the provisional arrangement will lapse on 3 April 2026.
Since November 2023 the Parliament has been prepared to negotiate a permanent framework, and from the Council’s adoption of its stance in November 2025 the discussions on lasting legislation have persisted.