Artificial Intelligence: Council gives final green light to simplify and streamline rules
Artificial Intelligence: Council gives final green light to simplify and streamline rules
Publish Date: 2026-06-29 10:01:00
Source Domain: www.pubaffairsbruxelles.eu
Today, the Council gave its final green light on a new regulation aiming to streamline and simplify certain rules regarding artificial intelligence (AI). The new law forms part of the so-called ‘Omnibus VII’ legislative package in the EU’s simplification agenda.
The package includes proposals for two regulations aiming to simplify the EU’s digital legislative framework and the implementation of harmonised rules on AI.
Application dates
Given that provisions on high-risk AI systems were due to enter into force on 2 August 2026, the co-legislators treated this part of the package with utmost priority and agreed on a fixed timeline for the delayed application of high-risk rules: the new application dates would be 2 December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products.
Other key elements of the new regulation
The new law adds a new provision in the AI act, prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material (CSAM). AI systems that generate nude images of real people or edit clothes out in existing photos to reveal intimate parts are set to be banned as of December this year.
The new regulation postpones the deadline for the establishment of AI regulatory sandboxes by competent authorities at national level until 2 August 2027 and reduces the grace period for providers to implement transparency solutions for artificially generated content from 6 months to 3 months, with the new deadline set on 2 December 2026.
The text also clarifies the competences of the AI Office for the supervision of AI systems based on general-purpose AI models where the model and that system are developed by the same provider by listing exceptions where national authorities remain competent, including law enforcement, border management, judicial authorities and financial institutions.
On…
