European Union: European Commission published ProtectEU strategy including content moderation provisions

On 1 April 2025, the European Commission published ProtectEU, an internal security strategy aimed at strengthening the European Union's capacity to address evolving security threats. The strategy supports the finalisation of two legislative proposals applying to the prevention of online child sexual abuse and the enhancement of law enforcement capabilities. It was highlighted that the rules will establish the EU Centre to assist platforms in detecting and reporting abuse, support Member States in prevention efforts, and provide victim assistance. In the area of content moderation, the strategy affirms the need for full enforcement of the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires providers of very large online platforms and search engines to assess and mitigate systemic risks, including illegal content such as child sexual abuse material, trafficking-related content, and online radicalisation. The Commission also plans to issue dedicated DSA guidelines on the protection of minors and introduce a privacy-preserving age verification solution by 2025, which is expected to serve until the launch of the EU Digital Identity Wallet by the end of 2026​.