Quick answer
The EU AI Act timeline now needs three tracks. Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline remains the baseline, the official 29 June 2026 Council-adopted Digital Omnibus text creates planning dates for 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028, and final adopted text remains pending until Official Journal publication and entry into force.
Digital Omnibus update, 8 May 2026
The Council adopted the Digital Omnibus on AI on 29 June 2026. The adopted text sets 2 December 2027 for Article 6(2)/Annex III high-risk AI systems and 2 August 2028 for Article 6(1)/Annex I product-embedded high-risk AI systems, pending Official Journal publication and entry into force.
The three-track timeline view
| Date | Existing AI Act baseline | Adopted-pending-OJ track | Planning status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 February 2025 | Chapters I and II apply, including AI literacy and prohibited-practices provisions. | No Digital Omnibus delay identified here. | Already applicable. Keep training evidence and prohibited-practices screening. |
| 2 August 2025 | GPAI, governance, notified-body, and penalty framework provisions apply under the current baseline. | No Digital Omnibus delay identified here. | Already applicable. Keep GPAI/vendor due-diligence records where relevant. |
| 2 August 2026 | Most obligations, including Annex III high-risk rules and Article 50 transparency rules, remain scheduled under the existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline. | Affected high-risk timing is set to move once OJ publication and entry into force are complete. | Use as existing-law baseline for obligations not moved by the Digital Omnibus, and mark affected high-risk work as adopted-pending-OJ. |
| 2 December 2027 | Not a existing AI Act application date for Annex III high-risk obligations. | Council-adopted text sets this date for Article 6(2)/Annex III high-risk AI systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force. | Use as adopted-pending-OJ track only. |
| 2 August 2028 | Not the current product-integrated high-risk date under the published baseline. | Council-adopted text sets this date for Article 6(1)/Annex I product-embedded high-risk AI systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force. | Use as adopted-pending-OJ product-safety track until OJ status is verified. |
How deployers should use this page
Use the existing-law column for binding baseline planning until Official Journal publication and entry into force are verified. Use the adopted-pending-OJ column for scenario planning without treating it as in-force law. Use the final-adoption column as a placeholder for legal update control, not as a claim that the law has already changed.
The practical move is boring but useful: put a status field in every AI inventory and evidence file. Label it current law, adopted text, draft guidance, or final adopted text.
Mistakes to avoid
- Do not replace legal review with a press-release summary.
- Do not delete August 2026 planning tasks from project plans without counsel review.
- Do not tell procurement or product teams that deployer evidence can wait until 2027.
- Do not mix Article 50, Annex III high-risk, and product-safety timelines as if they changed in the same way.
Read the Digital Omnibus hub
Understand what the adopted text changes.
Open the master timeline
See all existing-law and watch-item dates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the current EU AI Act timeline?
Under the current published EU AI Act baseline, the regulation applies progressively. Prohibited practices and AI literacy applied from 2 February 2025, GPAI and governance provisions applied from 2 August 2025, most obligations remain scheduled from 2 August 2026, and some product-integrated high-risk systems remain scheduled from 2 August 2027.
What does the Digital Omnibus adopted text change?
The official 29 June 2026 Council-adopted Digital Omnibus text changes parts of the implementation timeline once published in the Official Journal and in force. Certain high-risk AI obligations are set for 2 December 2027, and product-integrated high-risk AI rules are set for 2 August 2028.
Is 2 August 2026 still relevant?
Yes. 2 August 2026 remains relevant as the existing AI Act baseline until an amendment is published in the Official Journal and in force. It is also still relevant for evidence planning because deployers need system inventories, vendor records, human oversight routes, and Article 50 checks regardless of the final transition wording.
What happens on 2 December 2027 if the agreement is adopted?
If the adopted text is published in the Official Journal and in force, 2 December 2027 is set to be the adopted-pending-OJ date for Article 6(2)/Annex III high-risk AI systems. EU AI Compass treats that date as adopted-pending-OJ until OJ publication and entry into force are verified.
Why keep existing-law and adopted-pending-OJ tracks separate?
EU AI Compass keeps the tracks separate because teams need a clean audit trail. Mixing current law, adopted text, draft guidance, and final adopted text creates bad records. A dated planning note helps legal, compliance, product, and procurement teams explain why a decision was made.
Last evidence review date: 8 May 2026
Source basis: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 remains the existing EU AI Act baseline. This page also tracks the official 29 June 2026 Council-adopted Digital Omnibus text reported by the European Commission and related EU institutional reporting. The agreement still requires Official Journal publication and entry into force before it changes the legal text. This page is for operational planning and is not legal advice.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 · Council final green-light press release · Council adopted-pending-OJ press release
Keep the evidence work moving
The Digital Omnibus changes timing once in force, but it does not remove the need to know which AI systems exist, who owns them, which vendor records support them, and what evidence a deployer can show.