{"slug":"eu","name":"European Union","short_name":"EU","iso_code":"EU","jurisdiction_type":"supranational","region":"Europe","subregion":null,"overview":"The European Union has the world's first comprehensive, binding, cross-sector AI law: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, the Artificial Intelligence Act. It entered into force on 1 August 2024 and applies in phases between February 2025 and August 2027. The AI Act sits alongside the GDPR, product-safety law, the Digital Services Act and sector rules, all of which continue to apply to AI systems. The European Commission's AI Office supervises general-purpose AI models, while national market-surveillance authorities supervise most other obligations.\n","regulatory_status_summary":"Binding regulation in force and partially applicable. Prohibited practices and AI-literacy duties apply since 2 February 2025; general-purpose AI model obligations and the governance and penalties chapters since 2 August 2025; most remaining obligations, including Annex III high-risk requirements, are scheduled from 2 August 2026, with high-risk AI embedded in Annex I regulated products from 2 August 2027. A Commission \"Digital Omnibus\" proposal published in November 2025 would adjust some high-risk application dates; its adoption status must be checked against the official sources linked below.\n","binding_vs_guidance":"Binding: the AI Act, the GDPR, the Product Liability Directive (as revised in 2024), and sector legislation. Non-binding but official: Commission guidelines on prohibited practices and on general-purpose AI, the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice, and harmonised standards being drafted by CEN-CENELEC JTC 21.\n","current_priorities":"Harmonised standards for high-risk AI, guidance on high-risk classification, the AI Office's supervision of general-purpose models, designation of national competent authorities and notified bodies, regulatory sandboxes in every Member State, and the legislative debate on the Digital Omnibus timing adjustments.\n","regulators":[{"name":"European Commission AI Office","url":"https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/ai-office","role":"Supervises general-purpose AI models and coordinates implementation"},{"name":"European Artificial Intelligence Board","url":"https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai","role":"Coordination body of Member State authorities"},{"name":"European Data Protection Board","url":"https://www.edpb.europa.eu/","role":"GDPR coordination; AI and data-protection guidance"}],"official_sources":[{"title":"Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act) — Official Journal","publisher":"Publications Office of the European Union","url":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj","document_date":"2024-07-12","document_type":"legislation","tier":1},{"title":"AI Act — European Commission policy page","publisher":"European Commission","url":"https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai","document_type":"official","tier":1},{"title":"European AI Office","publisher":"European Commission","url":"https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/ai-office","document_type":"official","tier":1}],"related_jurisdictions":["uk","us","india","singapore"],"url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/jurisdictions/eu","source":{"official_source_url":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj","source_title":"Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Artificial Intelligence Act)","source_publisher":"Official Journal of the European Union","source_document_date":"2024-07-12","source_reference":"OJ L, 2024/1689, 12.7.2024","source_tier":1,"last_checked_at":"2026-09-26","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"high","content_version":1,"change_summary":"Initial structured record.","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt"},"policies":[{"slug":"eu-ai-act","id":"AIPT-POL-0073","permanent_url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0073","title":"Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Artificial Intelligence Act","short_title":"EU AI Act","jurisdiction":"eu","instrument_type":"regulation","status":"partially_applicable","is_binding":true,"ai_specific":true,"issuing_body":"European Parliament and Council of the European Union","summary_plain":"The EU AI Act is a binding regulation that sets rules for developing, placing on the market and using AI systems in the European Union. It bans a small set of practices considered unacceptable, imposes detailed requirements on \"high-risk\" AI systems used in areas such as employment, education, credit, essential services, law enforcement and safety-critical products, requires transparency for chatbots and synthetic content, and creates separate duties for providers of general-purpose AI models. Obligations apply in phases between 2025 and 2028.\n","adopted_on":"2024-06-13","in_force_on":"2024-08-01","applies_from":"2026-08-02","official_source_url":"https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj","last_verified_at":null,"reviewed_by":null,"content_version":3,"review_status":"pending_review","confidence_level":"medium","updated_at":"2026-10-15T06:46:23+00:00","url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-ai-act"},{"slug":"eu-apply-ai-strategy","id":"AIPT-POL-0074","permanent_url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/id/AIPT-POL-0074","title":"Apply AI Strategy","short_title":"Apply AI Strategy","jurisdiction":"eu","instrument_type":"strategy","status":"adopted","is_binding":false,"ai_specific":true,"issuing_body":"European Commission (DG CONNECT)","summary_plain":"The Apply AI Strategy is a Commission communication that sets out how the EU intends to speed up use of AI across ten strategic sectors (such as healthcare, manufacturing, energy, mobility and defence) and in public administration. It combines sectoral flagship initiatives with cross-cutting support such as AI Factories, testing facilities and skills measures, and creates an Apply AI Alliance to coordinate industry, academia and public bodies. It sits within the broader AI Continent Action Plan and was presented together with a companion AI in Science strategy.","adopted_on":"2025-10-08","in_force_on":null,"applies_from":null,"official_source_url":"https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/apply-ai","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26","reviewed_by":"Bhaskar Bhatt","content_version":1,"review_status":"verified","confidence_level":"high","updated_at":"2026-10-15T06:46:24+00:00","url":"https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-apply-ai-strategy"}]}