Apply the AI Act as scheduled; treat reopening the text as deregulation under a simplification label and a reward for non-readiness.
Held in 2025, lost in 2026 on high-risk timing. The Commission kept the schedule through 2025 (prohibitions Feb 2025, GPAI Aug 2025, public rejection of any 'stop the clock'), but the Digital Omnibus on AI, opposed in an open letter by 133 civil-society organisations and unions (13 Nov 2025) and by follow-on coalition letters through spring 2026, was adopted in June 2026, delaying Annex III high-risk obligations to 2 Dec 2027 and Annex I to 2 Aug 2028. Partial offsets in the final deal: Art. 50 transparency dates held, and new prohibitions on AI-generated non-consensual intimate imagery and CSAM were added.
first seen 2025-06-30 · last seen 2026-06-29 · locus: deployer
Bill-status would miss this
AI Act prohibitions (Art. 5) and AI-literacy obligations begin to apply
EU AI ActCommission initially states there is no stop the clock
EU AI ActOpen Joint Letter (CDT Europe, EDRi, ECNL, BEUC + ~40 orgs) against delaying and reopening the AI Act
EU AI ActGPAI obligations apply on schedule
EU AI Act133 civil-society organisations and unions urge the Commission to halt the Digital Omnibus ('point of no return')
EU Digital OmnibusAccess Now-coordinated 46-org letter urges legislators to keep Article 49(2) high-risk registration transparency
EU Digital OmnibusAmendments to strike the delay tabled in Parliament; 37-org 'Safeguard the AI Act' open letter urges rejection of the AI Omnibus
EU Digital OmnibusParliament adopts the AI Omnibus over civil-society objections; the hold-the-timeline ask fails
EU Digital OmnibusCouncil final adoption of the omnibus delaying high-risk obligations
EU Digital Omnibus8 claims · every quote links to its document
“We firmly oppose any attempt to delay or re-open the AI Act, particularly in light of the growing trend of deregulation, which risks undermining key accountability mechanisms and hard-won rights enshrined in EU law across a wide range of protections, including for people, the planet, justice and democracy.”
Joint letter co-branded CDT Europe, EDRi, ECNL and BEUC with ~40 signatory organisations.
“Instead of beating the deregulation drum, the Commission should safeguard the public interest from Big Tech influence and strengthen the enforcement of its existing digital playbook instead.”
Joint report with LobbyControl analysing EU Transparency Register data (EUR 151m/yr digital-industry lobbying).
“the legislative changes now contemplated go far beyond mere simplification. They would de-regulate core elements of the GDPR, the e-Privacy framework and AI Act, significantly reducing established protections”
Joint open letter with EDRi and the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.
“urge the European Commission to immediately halt any attempts to reopen the GDPR, ePrivacy framework, AI Act or other core digital rights protections”
EDRi-coordinated open letter from 133 civil society organisations and trade unions.
“We, the undersigned organisations and individuals, urge you in the strongest possible terms to reject the deletion of the Article 49(2) transparency safeguard for high-risk AI systems that is proposed in the AI Omnibus”
Letter coordinated by Access Now with 46 organisations and 7 experts.
“We therefore call on the European Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council to reject the AI Omnibus on grounds of procedure and substance, and thereby contribute towards ensuring a democratic process, as well as safeguarding fundamental rights protections”
Open letter signed by Amnesty International EIO plus 37 organisations.
“BEUC, the European Consumer Organisation, regrets that the final AI omnibus adopted early this morning, aimed to simplify AI rules to boost competitiveness, instead creates a less safe digital environment for consumers as it delays key provisions in the AI Act and creates dangerous loopholes in the scope of the law.”
'Adopted early this morning' refers to the 7 May 2026 trilogue provisional deal, not final adoption.
“Delaying safeguards is not a neutral administrative step. It delays accountability and extends the period in which people affected by AI systems lack the protections the AI Act was supposed to provide.”
Joint analysis with eight partner organisations incl. EDRi, ARTICLE19, Access Now, Amnesty International, ECNL.
No on-the-record claims captured on this side. Absence here is a coverage fact, not a finding.