The Council of the EU has given its final approval to the AI Omnibus, a targeted package of amendments intended to simplify and streamline aspects of the EU AI Act. The changes are particularly significant for providers and deployers of high-risk AI systems, as they extend key compliance timelines and clarify how the AI Act interacts with sector-specific regulatory regimes.
Revised application dates for high-risk AI systems
The most immediate change is the postponement of the application dates for the AI Act’s high-risk regime. As the high-risk provisions were originally due to apply from 2 August 2026, the co-legislators prioritised this part of the package and have now agreed a fixed revised timetable. The high-risk rules will apply from 2 December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and from 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products.
| Date | Change / deadline |
| December 2026 | New prohibited AI practice applies for systems generating non-consensual sexual or intimate content and CSAM. |
| 2 December 2026 | Deadline for providers to implement transparency solutions for artificially generated or manipulated content. |
| 2 August 2027 | Deadline for Member States to establish national AI regulatory sandboxes. |
| 2 December 2027 | High-risk rules apply to stand-alone high-risk AI systems. |
| 2 August 2028 | High-risk rules apply to high-risk AI systems embedded in products. |
Other key elements
The Omnibus also introduces a new prohibited AI practice relating to the generation of non-consensual sexual or intimate content and child sexual abuse material (CSAM). AI systems that generate nude images of real people or manipulate existing images to remove clothing and reveal intimate body parts, will be prohibited from December 2026.
The deadline for Member States to establish national AI regulatory sandboxes is also postponed to 2 August 2027. Separately, the grace period for providers to implement transparency solutions for artificially generated or manipulated content is reduced from six months to three months, with the relevant deadline now set at 2 December 2026.
The text clarifies the role of the AI Office in supervising AI systems based on general-purpose AI models where the same provider develops both the model and the system. It also identifies circumstances in which national authorities will remain competent, including in relation to law enforcement, border management, judicial authorities and financial institutions.
The Omnibus also addresses the overlap between the AI Act and sectoral legislation in areas such as medical devices, toys, lifts and watercraft. Where sector-specific legislation contains similar AI-related requirements, the Commission will be able to limit the application of the AI Act in those cases through implementing acts. The aim is to avoid duplicative compliance obligations under both the AI Act and existing product or sectoral regimes.
Products covered by the Machinery Regulation are carved out from the direct application of the AI Act. Instead, the Commission will be able to adopt secondary legislation under the Machinery Regulation to add health and safety requirements for AI systems classified as high-risk under the AI Act.
The Commission must also issue guidance to help economic operators of high-risk AI systems covered by sectoral harmonisation legislation comply with the AI Act’s high-risk requirements in a way that minimises unnecessary compliance burden.
Next steps
The regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the EU shortly and will enter into force on the third day following publication.
