On 29 June 2026, the Council of the European Union formally adopted the AI Omnibus regulation, completing the co-legislative process after the European Parliament's plenary vote on 16 June 2026. The regulation forms part of the EU Digital Omnibus legislative simplification package. It amends Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the EU AI Act, and enters into force on the third day following publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
The AI Omnibus extends the application dates for obligations on providers and deployers of high-risk AI systems under Articles 9 to 49 of Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. Stand-alone high-risk AI systems listed in Annex III must now comply by 2 December 2027, extended from August 2026. High-risk AI systems embedded in regulated products listed in Annex II must comply by 2 August 2028. The Omnibus adds two new prohibited practices to Article 5: AI systems generating non-consensual intimate imagery and AI systems generating child sexual abuse material are now explicitly banned. For AI systems placed on the market before 2 August 2026, the machine-readable marking obligation under Article 50(2) applies from 2 December 2026. Systems entering the market on or after 2 August 2026 must mark from placement.
Providers and deployers of high-risk AI systems in financial services, healthcare, employment, and education gain additional time to implement conformity assessments, technical documentation, quality management systems, and human oversight measures required under Articles 9 to 49. General-purpose AI model providers remain subject to Article 53 obligations and the ongoing Code of Practice process, which the Omnibus does not affect. AI deployers covered by Article 50 transparency requirements, including human interaction disclosure and synthetic content marking, remain on the original 2 August 2026 schedule for new systems.
The Omnibus delays the obligation for national competent authorities to establish AI regulatory sandboxes under Article 57 from 2 August 2026 to 2 August 2027. The precise entry-into-force date depends on the Official Journal publication date, which was not confirmed as of 29 June 2026. Open questions remain about the timeline for implementing measures under the extended deadlines and whether further amendments will follow through subsequent Digital Omnibus packages.
We may advise on EU AI Act compliance and have a partner network covering EU regulatory affairs and AI governance advisory. Contact us to discuss the impact of the Omnibus deadline changes on your compliance programme. Work we undertake includes EU AI Act high-risk system classification, conformity assessment support, GPAI model obligations analysis, Article 50 transparency implementation, and AI governance policy design.