What is the official enactment date and entry-into-force timeline for the EU chat control law?
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Executive summary
The Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse (often called “Chat Control” or CSAR) is a multi-stage EU proposal first published by the Commission in May 2022; as of late 2025 the Council adopted a political position on 26 November 2025 and the dossier moved into trilogue talks, not yet a final law [1] [2] [3]. Key Council votes were scheduled or reported on 12–14 September 2025 and 13–14 October 2025 but were delayed or rescheduled during 2025; one high-profile Council adoption is dated 26 November 2025 in multiple accounts [4] [5] [2] [6].
1. What “enactment date” means in EU lawmaking — and why the question needs nuance
In EU procedure a political agreement by the Council or Parliament is not the enactment date: a regulation must clear trilogue negotiations, be adopted in final votes by the European Parliament and the Council, be published in the Official Journal, and then it “enters into force” on the date set in the text (or 20 days after publication if no date is set). Current reporting shows the Council reached a position in late November 2025 and trilogue talks began thereafter; that political position is not publication or entry into force [2] [3] [4].
2. Timeline reported in 2025: key Council steps and votes
Multiple contemporary sources record a sequence of Council-level dates in 2025: member-states’ positions were expected to be finalised in September 2025 with earliest possible Council votes set for 12–14 September and 13–14 October 2025; when consensus stalled some votes were postponed and the Council ultimately reported a text on 26 November 2025 [4] [5] [2] [6]. News outlets also reported an October 2025 delay and shelving of one vote before later progress under the Danish presidency [7] [8].
3. Where we are as of the latest coverage: Council position, trilogue, not yet law
Reporting from November–December 2025 describes an EU Council political compromise adopted on 26 November 2025 and the start of trilogue negotiations with the Parliament and Commission; commentators explicitly stress the law has still not been finally adopted or published, meaning no Official Journal enactment or entry-into-force date has been set in available reporting [2] [3] [6] [9].
4. What the final procedural steps will determine the official dates
If trilogue negotiators agree a final text, the European Parliament and Council must approve that text in formal votes, after which the regulation is published in the Official Journal; the text itself or publication will state the entry-into-force timeline and application dates. Multiple explainers note that “application dates” (i.e., when obligations actually apply to companies) are normally set inside the final regulation and can be phased — nothing in the current reporting claims those dates have been fixed yet [4] [3].
5. Areas of disagreement and political pressure shaping timing
Sources show sharp disagreement: some Member States opposed mandatory scanning and pushed back votes; others supported stronger measures. The Danish presidency rewrote the Council draft and its November 26 package removed the most intrusive scanning requirement in some versions, prompting fresh trilogue conflict and advocacy from privacy groups and industry that could further delay adoption and final entry dates [7] [2] [6] [10].
6. What campaigners and experts say about “when it comes into force”
Privacy and digital-rights groups treat any Council adoption as a dangerous milestone and warn the law could still be altered in trilogue; legal and technical experts cited in reporting stress that technical feasibility and fundamental-rights challenges could lead courts or later political action to change timelines — again underscoring that no final enactment/entry date has been published in the sources provided [8] [1] [9].
7. Bottom line for your original question
Available sources do not cite a formal “enactment date” or official entry-into-force date for the CSAR/“Chat Control” law; they record Council-level milestones (scheduled votes in Sept–Oct 2025 and a reported Council position on 26 November 2025) and note the regulation must still pass trilogue, final votes, and Official Journal publication before any entry-into-force date is fixed [4] [2] [5] [3].
Limitations: my account relies solely on the documents and articles you provided; if an Official Journal publication or final vote occurred after those sources, it is not reflected here because it is not mentioned in the available reporting (not found in current reporting).