Regulation Alert
The EU AI Act just moved the clock.
The compliance work does not move with it.
Source: Council of the EU provisional agreement, 7 May 2026
On 7 May 2026, the EU Council and Parliament reached provisional agreement on the Digital Omnibus on AI. The new compliance dates are:
- 2 December 2027 — standalone Annex III high-risk systems
- 2 August 2028 — high-risk AI embedded in Annex I regulated products
- 2 December 2026 — watermarking under Article 50(2) for systems already on market
- 2 August 2026 — all other transparency obligations, unchanged
- Already in force — GPAI model obligations (since August 2025)
Why the Delay?
The delay happened because the harmonised standards organisations need to demonstrate conformity are not ready. The compliance architecture did not move. The clock did.
Three Things You Can Complete Before August 2026
- AI system inventory with risk classification mapped to Annex III categories
- Conformity-ready documentation — data governance, technical files, human oversight design
- Evidence collection workflow that produces audit-grade records on every model update
The Defensible Position
Your defensible position is not "we are waiting for the standards." It is "we have a working risk management system mapped to AI RMF and ISO 42001, and we will conform it to harmonised standards as they are published."
If that is useful to your team, follow IAIMS or reach out.