Key facts

  • Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 entered into force on 27 July 2026.
  • Defers high-risk Annex III obligations to 2 December 2027 (from the original 2026 date).
  • Defers high-risk Annex I (product-embedded) obligations to 2 August 2028.
  • Article 50 transparency and GPAI obligations are unaffected — still live 2 Aug 2025 (GPAI) and 2 Aug 2026 (transparency).
  • The new high-risk dates are legally confirmed.

What is the Digital Omnibus?

It is a European Commission initiative to simplify and streamline several EU digital regulations at once, including elements of the AI Act, in response to industry feedback that the original timeline was too tight for high-risk compliance.

What actually changed for the EU AI Act?

The main change is timing, not substance: the high-risk obligations that would otherwise have started biting sooner are deferred. Annex III (use-based high-risk, e.g. recruitment, credit scoring) moves to 2 December 2027; Annex I (product-embedded high-risk, e.g. safety components in regulated products) moves to 2 August 2028.

What has not changed

Prohibited-practice bans and the Article 4 AI-literacy duty (in force since 2 February 2025), GPAI provider obligations (2 August 2025), and Article 50 transparency duties (2 August 2026) are unaffected by the Digital Omnibus proposal.

The dates are now confirmed

Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 was published on 24 July 2026 and entered into force on 27 July 2026, making the amended dates legally certain. High-risk compliance programmes should still start early because classification, documentation and conformity work take time. See the full EU AI Act timeline for how this fits together.

Frequently asked questions

Did the Digital Omnibus delay the EU AI Act?

Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 confirms high-risk obligations from 2 December 2027 for Annex III systems and 2 August 2028 for Annex I product-embedded systems.

What is the deadline I should care about most?

For most organisations: 2 August 2026 for transparency and GPAI governance, plus getting your high-risk classification sorted ahead of the 2027 deadlines.

Is the EU AI Act definitely delayed for high-risk systems?

Yes. Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 confirms the amended high-risk dates and entered into force on 27 July 2026.

Does the Digital Omnibus affect GPAI or transparency obligations?

No — GPAI provider obligations (from 2 August 2025) and Article 50 transparency duties (from 2 August 2026) are unaffected.

What's the first step to EU AI Act compliance?

Build an AI inventory and classify each system by risk — you can't comply with obligations you haven't mapped.

Related pages

Sources

Last updated 27 July 2026.