EU AI Act changes would delay key compliance deadlines

The Digital Omnibus on AI would reshape the EU AI Act after delays in supporting guidance and pressure to simplify digital regulation. Political agreement was reached in May 2026, and the European Parliament approved the AI Digital Omnibus on 16 June 2026. The package now awaits Council approval and publication in the Official Journal.

Core compliance timelines shift. Obligations for Annex III high-risk AI systems move from 02 August 2026 to 02 December 2027, while rules for AI safety components and AI products move from 02 August 2027 to 02 August 2028. The proposals also narrow the definition of safety components, streamline conformity and notification procedures, expand real-world testing outside sandboxes, and extend some simplified compliance measures from SMEs to SMCs.

The reforms add a prohibition on placing on the market or using AI systems that generate CSAM or non-consensual intimate images unless adequate safeguards are in place, with those restrictions taking effect from 02 December 2026. AI literacy duties are softened, labelling code oversight shifts toward the European Commission, and the AI Office receives broader supervisory and enforcement powers for certain systems.