Talks between European Union legislators broke down on Wednesday as they tried to agree on proposed amendments to the EU AI Act. At the center of the debate is the Digital Omnibus on AI, first introduced in November 2025, which would delay several key compliance deadlines under the Act.
If approved, the Digital Omnibus would push back the compliance date for high-risk AI systems classified under Annex III from August 2, 2026, to December 2, 2027. For products already regulated under existing EU harmonization legislation and listed in Annex I, the deadline would shift to August 2, 2028.
Not everyone is on board, though. Some within the EU oppose including certain products, like medical devices, in the Act’s scope under Annex I, arguing that those products are already sufficiently governed by sector-specific laws. In their view, layering the AI Act on top of existing regulation would create unnecessary and burdensome double regulation, and sector-specific frameworks are the better tool for overseeing these AI systems.
With legislators unable to reach a consensus, they agreed to pause talks and will likely resume negotiations next month. Organizations should keep a close eye on these discussions, because the outcome will directly shape compliance timelines.
That said, the current deadlines still stand. Unless a compromise is reached, the Act’s obligations for high-risk AI systems begin taking effect in August 2026. That means now is the time to start building out governance programs. Practical steps include documenting AI systems currently in use, mapping them against the Act’s risk classifications, and putting processes in place to meet the Act’s transparency requirements.