# European Union - **Record type**: Jurisdiction profile - **Short name**: EU - **ISO code**: EU - **Type**: supranational - **Region**: Europe ## In brief The European Union has 2 recorded AI policy instruments, 1 of them binding and 1 in force. Binding regulation in force and partially applicable. Regulators include European Commission AI Office, European Artificial Intelligence Board, European Data Protection Board. Next dated milestone: Two further Article 5 prohibitions apply (non-consensual intimate imagery and child sexual abuse material generation) on 2 December 2026. ## 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. ## Regulatory status 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. ## What is binding and what is 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. ## 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. ## Regulators - European Commission AI Office — Supervises general-purpose AI models and coordinates implementation — https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/ai-office - European Artificial Intelligence Board — Coordination body of Member State authorities — https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai - European Data Protection Board — GDPR coordination; AI and data-protection guidance — https://www.edpb.europa.eu/ ## How to use this profile - Confirm whether you are a provider, deployer, importer, distributor or authorised representative for each AI system you sell or use in the EU. - Screen every AI use against the Article 5 prohibited practices, which already apply. - Map each system to the Annex III high-risk areas and Annex I product legislation to decide which obligations and dates apply. - Check whether you place a general-purpose AI model on the EU market; if so, Chapter V obligations already apply. - Track the Digital Omnibus proposal and Commission guidelines, because they can change the practical timeline. - Record the official source and date for every conclusion, and have counsel review high-risk classifications. ## Official sources - Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act) — Official Journal — Publications Office of the European Union — https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj - AI Act — European Commission policy page — European Commission — https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai - European AI Office — European Commission — https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/ai-office ## Instruments recorded for this jurisdiction (2) - **Apply AI Strategy** — National strategy, Adopted, non-binding - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-apply-ai-strategy - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-apply-ai-strategy.md - **Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Artificial Intelligence Act** — Regulation, Partially applicable, binding - Record: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-ai-act - Context file: https://aipolicytracker.org/policies/eu-ai-act.md ## Provenance - **Record page**: https://aipolicytracker.org/jurisdictions/eu - **Official source**: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj - **Source document**: Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 of the European Parliament and of the Council (Artificial Intelligence Act) - **Published by**: Official Journal of the European Union - **Provision**: OJ L, 2024/1689, 12.7.2024 - **Review status**: verified - **Confidence**: high - **Facts last confirmed**: 2026-09-26 - **Confirmed by**: Bhaskar Bhatt (see https://aipolicytracker.org/reviewers) - **Retrieved**: 2026-10-27 - **Licence**: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ > This record is a structured summary with a link to the official text. It is not legal advice. Open the official source before relying on any date or duty. How current each record type must be is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/verification; what a record must carry at all is published at https://aipolicytracker.org/coverage.