Rerun of vote on ChatControl 1.0: Quote from MEP Markéta Gregorová

Ahead of the European Parliament repeating the vote on its position on the extension of the temporary derogation from the ePrivacy Directive, also called ChatControl 1.0, Pirate Party MEP Markéta Gregorová, Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur for the legislation, comments:

"Today’s vote on ChatControl 1.0 damages the credibility of the European Parliament. The EPP is using procedural tricks to reopen a position that Parliament had already agreed on. After talks with the Council collapsed, the file should have been removed from the agenda. Instead, Conservatives forced it back in its original form to sideline Parliament’s amendments and keep indiscriminate mass surveillance on the table.

"This debate has never been about choosing between privacy and child protection. Parliament had already backed more effective, targeted measures such as monitoring suspects with judicial authorisation, stronger platform moderation and better investigations against perpetrators. Children are protected by smart enforcement, not by scanning the private messages of millions of innocent people.

"Reopening the file sends a dangerous signal that democratic decisions can be overturned if governments simply wait long enough. We will keep fighting to stop mass scanning of private communications and to defend both fundamental rights and real child protection in Europe.”