European Union AI Law
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Use this guide to find EU legislation, implementation resources and historical coverage. Start with the AI Act for AI-specific obligations, then follow the related-law routes for privacy, copyright, platforms and liability.
Start here
EU AI Act — the main reference article, organized by who is covered, requirements, enforcement and application dates.
Who is covered · Main duties · Current timeline · Authorities and penalties
AI-specific legislation
- Artificial Intelligence Act — Regulation (EU) 2024/1689. In force with phased application. It governs prohibited practices, high-risk systems, certain transparency duties and general-purpose AI models.[1]
- Digital Omnibus on AI — Regulation (EU) 2026/1744. The amendment entered into force on July 27, 2026. Among its changes are later high-risk application dates and additional prohibited practices. It is enacted legislation; earlier Parliament/Council positions are historical stages.[2]
Dates to distinguish: Article 50 transparency duties generally apply from August 2, 2026, with a limited transition for marking outputs of pre-existing systems. Main high-risk requirements apply from December 2, 2027 for Annex III uses and August 2, 2028 for Annex I product-related systems. See the full timeline and transitional qualifications.[1]
Related enacted laws
The AI Act preserves other EU legal regimes, including personal-data protection, consumer protection and product safety. This is a selected reading list, not a complete inventory of EU or Member State law.[1]
Cybersecurity of digital products
Cyber Resilience Act — Regulation (EU) 2024/2847. Manufacturer reporting duties apply from September 11, 2026; general application follows on December 11, 2027.[3]
Privacy and automated decisions
General Data Protection Regulation — Regulation (EU) 2016/679. Start here for processing personal data. Article 22 addresses decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal or similarly significant effects, with specified exceptions and safeguards; it does not prohibit every AI-assisted decision.[4] Read the official text →
Copyright and training material
Copyright in the Digital Single Market Directive — Directive (EU) 2019/790. Articles 3 and 4 provide distinct text-and-data-mining exceptions. The scientific-research exception covers qualifying research organizations and cultural-heritage institutions with lawful access; the broader Article 4 exception requires lawful access and respects appropriately expressed rights reservations. The AI Act separately requires GPAI providers to maintain an EU copyright-compliance policy.[5] Read the official text →
Online platforms and algorithmic risks
Digital Services Act — Regulation (EU) 2022/2065. Articles 34 and 35 require designated very large online platforms and search engines to assess and mitigate systemic risks, including risks connected with algorithmic systems. Their scope differs from the AI Act’s provider/deployer and risk classifications.[6] Read the official text →
Defective products and software
Revised Product Liability Directive — Directive (EU) 2024/2853. The definition of a product includes software. Member States must transpose the directive by December 9, 2026; its scope covers products placed on the market or put into service after that date. Adoption does not mean the revised regime already applies to every existing AI product.[7] Read the official text →
EU Kids Act announcement
On September 16, 2026, von der Leyen outlined age-based social-media safeguards, citing harms including AI-generated sexualized images. The EU Kids Act proposal was due September 17; the speech did not enact restrictions.[8][9]
See September 16 coverage for the announced age bands.
On September 17, 2026, the Commission published the proposal. Its accompanying explanation describes child-safety duties for AI companions and chatbots, including safeguards against emotional dependency, testing and monitoring. It remains proposed legislation.[10][11] See September 17 digest coverage.
The proposal would also prevent chatbots embedded in platforms or games from activating automatically for children and require that they be easy to disable. Platforms with at least 45 million active monthly EU users would have to submit child-safety compliance plans, independently audited at their expense. These requirements would need approval by the European Parliament and Council before becoming law.[11][12]
IPCEI AI state-aid initiative
On September 16, 2026, the Commission welcomed an AI project designed by 19 EU countries and coordinated by Germany. Eleven participating countries plan to begin pre-notification of proposed state aid this month. The Commission will assess the projects; the announcement is not funding approval.[13]
The IPCEI rules require wider European benefits, necessary and proportionate aid, and limits on harm to competition.[14] Consultancy European economics explains that pre-notification precedes formal notification and a Commission compatibility decision.[15]
See September 16 digest coverage.
Guidance and implementation resources
- EGE neuro-AI governance statement — September 8, 2026 expert recommendations on brain-data protection and oversight; advisory policy rather than enacted duties.[16]
- European Union policy on catastrophic AI risk — thematic overview of preventive duties, public supervision and policy tradeoffs.
- Commission AI Act portal — official implementation overview and routes to guidelines, standards and the AI Act Service Desk.[17]
- General-Purpose AI Code of Practice — a voluntary compliance route covering transparency, copyright, and safety/security for models with systemic risk. The underlying statutory obligations remain binding.[18]
- Governance and enforcement directory — official routes to national market-surveillance and fundamental-rights authorities, alongside the Commission’s role.[19]
Historical coverage
- AI Act amendment history and dated reporting
- Earlier legislation and regulatory news
- Daily news archive
Related people
- Brando Benifei and Dragoș Tudorache — original AI Act parliamentary co-rapporteurs.
- Anu Bradford — comparative digital regulation and innovation.
- Mireille Hildebrandt — automated decisions and the rule of law.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, consolidated text of July 27, 2026, Articles 1, 2, 111 and 113. Reviewed September 7, 2026. The consolidated text is a documentation aid; Official Journal acts are authoritative.
- ↑ Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, Articles 1 and 4; Official Journal, July 24, 2026. Reviewed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, CRA reporting obligations; European Commission, Cyber Resilience Act, reviewed September 14, 2026.
- ↑ GDPR, Articles 2, 5, 6 and 22. Reviewed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ Directive (EU) 2019/790, Articles 3 and 4; AI Act, Article 53. Reviewed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ Digital Services Act, Articles 33–35; AI Act, Articles 2 and 6. Reviewed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ Directive (EU) 2024/2853, Articles 2, 4 and 22. Reviewed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, State of the Union address, September 16, 2026, p. 22.
- ↑ Sam McNeil and Kelvin Chan, Associated Press, “EU chief proposes bloc-wide social media ban for kids under 13,” September 16, 2026, via Local 10.
- ↑ European Commission, “EU KIDS Act to restrict social media platforms’ access to children in the EU,” September 17, 2026.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 European Commission, “The KIDS Act explained,” updated September 17, 2026.
- ↑ Philip Blenkinsop, Reuters via Internazionale, “Factbox—What is in the EU’s planned KIDS Act?”, September 17, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, “Commission welcomes the design of first Important Project of Common European Interest in AI,” September 16, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, IPCEI Communication (2021/C 528/02), paragraphs 15–18, 30 and 43.
- ↑ European economics, “IPCEI Artificial Intelligence,” sections on pre-notification and State aid assessment, accessed September 16, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, Experts call for a new approach to Neuro-AI governance, September 8, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, AI Act, reviewed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, The General-Purpose AI Code of Practice; AI Act, Articles 53 and 55. Reviewed September 7, 2026.
- ↑ European Commission, Governance and enforcement of the AI Act, reviewed September 7, 2026.