The European Parliament has intensified efforts to extend temporary rules that have gained a controversial reputation as "chat control." The legislative body approved an accelerated procedure for reconsidering this disputed regulation. The next vote is scheduled for July 9.
The decision to proceed urgently was made with the support of 331 members of parliament. 304 lawmakers voted against, and 11 abstained. Blocking or making significant changes to the proposal requires an absolute majority of 361 votes — a threshold that has not yet been reached.
What does this mean for the crypto industry? The initiative, known as "chat control," aims to expand law enforcement's powers to monitor encrypted messages. For the digital asset sector, where the confidentiality of transactions and communications is a fundamental principle, such measures pose a direct threat. Increased surveillance of chats could set a precedent for stricter regulation of anonymous wallets and decentralized applications (dApps) that rely on encryption.
The market is currently closely monitoring the voting dynamics. If the proposal is adopted, it will increase pressure on privacy-focused projects such as Monero (XMR) or Zcash (ZEC), and could also spark a new round of discussions about the alignment of European norms with the principles of decentralization.
My analysis: The re-vote on "chat control" is not just a bureaucratic procedure. It is a signal that European regulators are willing to sacrifice privacy in the fight against crime. For the crypto community, this is a wake-up call: if message encryption is weakened, the next step could be control over non-custodial wallets. Investors should assess the risks to portfolios linked to private blockchains in advance.