Overview
The legislative file 2024/0035(COD) is a Commission proposal for a recast directive aimed at combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child sexual abuse material. The procedure is ongoing, with the European Parliament's position in the first reading currently awaited. The analysis is based on the European Parliament's consolidated summary of proposed amendments (P10_TA(2025)0116), which details the substantive changes introduced by the Parliament, alongside procedural and institutional data.
Legislative timeline
The legislative procedure is in an advanced stage, with trilogue negotiations between the European Parliament, the Council, and the Commission underway. Two rounds of trilogues have been completed as of the latest data, with further trilogues planned with the aim of reaching a possible first-reading agreement. Key procedural steps in the European Parliament include the committee report being tabled on 16 April 2024, followed by a series of committee opinions and amendments being tabled and adopted between November 2024 and March 2025. Recent interinstitutional negotiation meetings were held on 17 June, 23 June, and 6 November 2025.
Institutional handling
The lead committee in the European Parliament is the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE). The Committees on Culture and Education (CULT), Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM), and Legal Affairs (JURI) are associated committees providing opinions. On the Commission side, the responsible department is the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (HOME), under Commissioner Ylva Johansson. Within the Council, the file is handled by the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) configuration.
Stakeholder reactions
Stakeholder engagement on this file has been extensive, with 97 documented meetings held between stakeholders and EU policymakers—80 with Members of the European Parliament and 17 with Commissioners—involving 73 distinct organisations. The most active organisations in these engagements include Stichting ECPAT International, Brave Movement, Eurochild AISBL, Thorn, and the Internet Watch Foundation. Clear stakeholder positions have been expressed on key policy issues. On the topic of 'Safety features & content control for child protection online', organisations including ECPAT International, Terre des Hommes Netherlands, Missing Children Europe, and Thorn strongly oppose any weakening of regulations, advocating instead for mandatory rules on the prevention, detection, removal, and reporting of child sexual abuse material. On the related issue of 'Privacy & detection of online child abuse', stakeholders like Missing Children Europe and Fondation pour l'Enfance strongly support regulations mandating detection and removal, prioritising crime detection. ECPAT Deutschland e.V. also supports a policy approach that favors crime detection over privacy concerns.
Media coverage
Media monitoring identified one relevant article from Brussels. The article reports that Hungary is facing EU scrutiny over limits on peaceful assembly, following a case where a Pride event organiser was charged.