Digital Omnibus and EU AI Act: what changed in July 2026

In November 2025, the European Commission proposed the Digital Omnibus package, a set of regulatory simplification measures for European businesses. The stated objective: reduce administrative costs, particularly for SMEs, and promote innovation while maintaining a high level of protection.

1. What is the Digital Omnibus?

The Digital Omnibus modifies several European regulations simultaneously: the EU AI Act, but also cybersecurity, data and other digital texts. For the EU AI Act specifically, the main modification concerns the application timeline for Annex III high-risk system obligations.

2. What has been postponed by the Digital Omnibus

• Full obligations for Annex III high-risk systems (documentation, oversight, registration, conformity assessment): postponed from August 2026 to December 2027
• An additional deadline until 31 December 2030 for systems already deployed before August 2026 (except mandatory registration)
• AI systems embedded in CE-marked products (machinery, medical devices): near-exempt from high-risk regime if existing third-party CE certification

3. What remains fully in force after the Digital Omnibus

• Prohibitions (Art. 5): in force since February 2025, no change
• AI literacy obligations (Art. 4): in force since August 2025
• GPAI obligations (Art. 51-56): in force since August 2025
• Chatbot and AI-generated content transparency (Art. 50): in force since August 2026

4. New complete timeline after Digital Omnibus