Council of the EU: position on simplifying the AI Act
On 13 March 2026 the Council of the EU agreed its position on the Commission's proposal to streamline the AI rules (the 'digital omnibus'): fixed dates for high-risk systems, 2 December 2027 and 2 August 2028, and a new prohibition on AI producing non-consensual intimate content or child sexual abuse material.
Why it matters
This is the first of the two legislative positions that later converged on the final text. Instead of tying the delay to the readiness of standards, the Council proposed calendar dates, so businesses saw a concrete line for the first time.
What the mandate contains. The Council broadly kept the Commission's proposal of 19 November 2025. Added: a prohibition on practices that generate non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material; fixed dates of 2 December 2027 (stand-alone high-risk systems) and 2 August 2028 (systems embedded in products); reinstated obligation to register in the EU database systems a provider considers exempt from high-risk classification, and the standard of strict necessity for processing special-category data to detect bias; deadline for national sandboxes postponed to 2 December 2027; AI Office competences clarified; the Commission to issue guidance for sectoral systems. What the record does not claim. This is the Council's negotiating position, not law: negotiations with the Parliament follow. The mandate text (document ST 10752/26) that the release links was not opened; everything comes from the Council's press release.