Overview

• Justice Minister Stefanie Hubig said an untargeted chat scan is incompatible with the rule of law and that Germany will not support such proposals at EU level.
• The Danish-backed draft relies on client-side scanning of photos and videos before encryption and would channel alerts to a new EU reporting mechanism.
• Cross-party resistance in Berlin has hardened, with CDU/CSU leader Jens Spahn and SPD’s Dirk Wiese opposing blanket scans, weakening prospects for a Council majority.
• Tech companies and rights bodies warn the plan would undermine end-to-end encryption, and prior voluntary scanning produced large volumes of irrelevant reports that strained investigators.
• EU ambassadors are set to discuss the file tonight ahead of a possible ministerial vote next week, but without Berlin’s backing the numbers for passage look unlikely and any measure would still require talks with Parliament.