How to read this page: “Current published law” means the timeline already present in Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. “Provisional-agreement watch” means a planning date that depends on formal adoption and publication of the Digital Omnibus amendment.
Key dates at a glance
| Date | Track | What it means | Planning action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 August 2024 | Current published law | The EU AI Act became law and the phased timeline started. | Use this as the starting point. |
| 2 February 2025 | Current published law | Prohibited practices and AI literacy duties became live. | Keep screening records and training evidence. |
| 2 August 2025 | Current published law | GPAI, governance, notified-body, and penalty rules became live. | Keep GPAI and vendor records where relevant. |
| 2 August 2026 | Current published law | Most remaining duties are still scheduled here under current published law, including Annex III high-risk duties and Article 50 transparency. | Plan against this date until final law changes it. |
| 2 December 2026 | Provisional-agreement watch | Some AI-generated content transparency planning may use this date if the amendment becomes final. | Review Article 50 separately. Do not assume every transparency duty moves to 2027. |
| 2 December 2027 | Provisional-agreement watch | Some high-risk AI duties would move here if the amendment becomes final. | Treat this as planning, not final law. |
| 2 August 2028 | Provisional-agreement watch | Product-integrated high-risk AI would move here if the amendment becomes final. | Flag product-safety overlap and wait for final text. |
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 current published law. | Would move to 2 December 2027 for some high-risk AI systems if final. | Keep inventory, risk rationale, instructions for use, oversight records, logs, and vendor evidence. |
| Article 50 transparency | 2 August 2026 under current published law. | 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 current published law for some product contexts. | Would move to 2 August 2028 if final. | 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.
Current published law, Article 113
2 February 2025
Prohibited practices and AI literacy apply
AI literacy and prohibited-practices obligations are already live under the current published 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.
Current published law
2 August 2026
Current-law baseline for many remaining duties
Under current published law, many remaining duties, including Annex III high-risk duties and Article 50 transparency, remain scheduled for 2 August 2026. The Digital Omnibus provisional agreement may change parts of this track if it becomes final.
Current published law, Digital Omnibus watch
2 August 2027
Current-law product-integrated track
Under current published law, some high-risk AI systems integrated into regulated products sit on the later product track. The Digital Omnibus provisional agreement would move this further if final.
Current published law, product-safety overlap
2 December 2027
Possible date for some high-risk AI duties
The Digital Omnibus provisional agreement would move some high-risk AI duties to this date if it becomes final. Treat this as a watch item, not final law.
Provisional agreement, not final law
2 August 2028
Possible date for product-integrated high-risk AI
The Digital Omnibus provisional agreement would move product-integrated high-risk AI systems to this date if it becomes final.
Provisional agreement, not final law
Frequently asked questions
What are the current EU AI Act dates?
The current published timeline starts with entry into force on 1 August 2024 and then applies in phases. The main current-law date remains 2 August 2026 for many remaining duties, including Annex III high-risk rules and Article 50 transparency.
Did Digital Omnibus change the timeline yet?
Not yet as final law. The 7 May 2026 Digital Omnibus provisional agreement would change parts of the timeline only if it is formally adopted and published. This page separates current law from planning dates.
Why does the timeline now include 2028?
The timeline includes 2028 because the provisional agreement would move high-risk AI systems integrated into products, such as lifts or toys, to 2 August 2028 if adopted. This page keeps that date visible as a watch item so product and safety teams do not miss the distinction.
Which high-risk AI systems are affected by the provisional agreement?
The provisional agreement reporting points to certain high-risk AI systems, including use cases in biometrics, critical infrastructure, education, employment, migration, asylum, border control, law enforcement, and related areas. The final adopted amendment should be checked before making binding legal decisions.
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 current published EU AI Act baseline. This page also tracks the official 7 May 2026 Digital Omnibus provisional agreement reported by the European Commission and related EU institutional reporting. The agreement still requires formal adoption and publication before it changes the legal text. This page is for operational planning and is not legal advice.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 · European Commission press release IP/26/1024 · Council provisional-agreement press release
Keep the evidence work moving
The Digital Omnibus may change timing, 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.