How to read this page: “Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline” means the timeline already present in Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. “Adopted-pending-OJ date” means a Council-adopted Digital Omnibus date that still depends on Official Journal publication and entry into force.
Key dates at a glance
| Date | Track | What it means | Planning action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 August 2024 | Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline | The EU AI Act became law and the phased timeline started. | Use this as the starting point. |
| 2 February 2025 | Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline | Prohibited practices and AI literacy duties became live. | Keep screening records and training evidence. |
| 2 August 2025 | Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline | GPAI, governance, notified-body, and penalty rules became live. | Keep GPAI and vendor records where relevant. |
| 2 August 2026 | Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline | Most remaining duties are still scheduled here under existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline, including Annex III high-risk duties and Article 50 transparency. | Use this date for obligations not moved by the Digital Omnibus and verify Article 50 separately. |
| 2 December 2026 | Adopted-pending-OJ date | Council-adopted text reduces the provider transparency-solution grace period for artificially generated content to 2 December 2026; Article 50 scope still needs separate review. | Review Article 50 separately. Do not assume every transparency duty moves to 2027. |
| 2 December 2027 | Adopted-pending-OJ date | Council-adopted text sets this date for Article 6(2)/Annex III high-risk AI systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force. | Treat this as adopted-pending-OJ until OJ publication and entry into force are verified. |
| 2 August 2028 | Adopted-pending-OJ date | 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. | Flag product-safety overlap and verify the OJ text before citing a final in-force rule. |
What to keep preparing
| Area | Current law | Digital Omnibus watch | What to keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI literacy and prohibited-practices screening | Already live from 2 February 2025. | No final delay shown here. | Keep training records, role exposure notes, policy acknowledgements, and prohibited-practices screening. |
| GPAI and governance framework provisions | Already live from 2 August 2025 for relevant operators. | No final delay shown here. | Keep vendor records, model information, downstream-use limits, and update notices where relevant. |
| Annex III high-risk AI obligations | 2 August 2026 under existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline. | Council-adopted text sets 2 December 2027 for Article 6(2)/Annex III high-risk AI systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force. | Keep inventory, risk rationale, instructions for use, oversight records, logs, and vendor evidence. |
| Article 50 transparency | 2 August 2026 under existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline. | Some content-marking timing may change, but Article 50 still needs separate review. | Keep notices, labelling decisions, synthetic-content workflow records, and disclosure approvals. |
| Product-integrated high-risk AI systems | 2 August 2027 under existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline for some product contexts. | Council-adopted text sets 2 August 2028 for Article 6(1)/Annex I systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force. | Map the product regime, AI safety-component role, manufacturer duties, and conformity route. |
Detailed timeline
1 August 2024
EU AI Act enters into force
The AI Act entered into force. This started the phased implementation clock but did not make every later obligation immediately applicable.
Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline, Article 113
2 February 2025
Prohibited practices and AI literacy apply
AI literacy and prohibited-practices obligations are already live under the existing AI Act baseline. Organisations should keep training and screening records rather than waiting for later timeline changes.
Articles 4 and 5
2 August 2025
GPAI and governance provisions apply
GPAI, governance, notified-body, and penalty-framework provisions are part of the already-applicable track for relevant operators.
Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline
2 August 2026
Existing-law baseline for many remaining duties
Under existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline, many remaining duties, including Annex III high-risk duties and Article 50 transparency, remain scheduled for 2 August 2026. The Digital Omnibus adopted text may change parts of this track if it becomes final.
Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline, Digital Omnibus watch
2 August 2027
Existing-law product-integrated track
Under existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline, some high-risk AI systems integrated into regulated products sit on the later product track. The Digital Omnibus adopted text sets this further if final.
Existing Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 baseline, product-safety overlap
2 December 2027
Council-adopted date for Annex III high-risk AI
The Council-adopted text sets this date for Article 6(2)/Annex III high-risk AI systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force.
Adopted-pending-OJ
2 August 2028
Council-adopted date for product-integrated high-risk AI
The 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.
Adopted-pending-OJ
Frequently asked questions
What are the current EU AI Act dates?
The EU AI Act entered into force on 1 August 2024 and still applies in phases. After the 29 June 2026 Council adoption of the Digital Omnibus, many Annex III high-risk duties are set for 2 December 2027 and Annex I product-embedded high-risk duties for 2 August 2028, pending OJ publication and entry into force. Article 50 and other obligations must be checked separately.
What changed after Council adoption of the Digital Omnibus?
Council adoption is complete, but Official Journal publication and entry into force are pending. The 29 June 2026 Council-adopted Digital Omnibus text changes parts of the timeline only once it is published in the Official Journal and in force. This page separates current law from planning dates.
Why does the timeline now include 2028?
The timeline includes 2028 because PE-CONS 30/26 sets 2 August 2028 for Article 6(1)/Annex I product-embedded high-risk AI systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force. Product and safety teams still need to map sectoral-law overlap and evidence duties.
Which high-risk AI systems are affected by the adopted Digital Omnibus text?
PE-CONS 30/26 sets 2 December 2027 for AI systems classified as high-risk under Article 6(2) and Annex III, and 2 August 2028 for Article 6(1)/Annex I systems, pending OJ publication and entry into force. Use case classification still needs case-by-case review.
Should deployers keep preparing evidence?
Yes. Inventory, vendor due diligence, human oversight, logs, user instructions, Article 50 notices, and ownership records remain useful under both tracks. The date may move. The evidence gap does not disappear.
Related resources
Last evidence review date: 9 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 reflected in PE-CONS 30/26 and the Council final green-light press release. Official Journal publication and entry into force remain pending. 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.