Member states table Council compromise text altering AI Act digital‑liability rules

EU member states on May 14, 2026, tabled a Council compromise text amending the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, the Digital Watch update and Council materials show. (dig.watch) The compromise, negotiated as part of the so‑called Digital Omnibus package, follows a provisional political agreement reached by the Council presidency and the European Parliament on May 7, 2026. (verifywise.ai) Negotiators said the package aims to simplify compliance pathways, adjust deadlines for high‑risk obligations and clarify overlap with other EU safety rules. (matheson.com) ### Which specific AI Act provisions does the compromise alter? (dig.watch) The Council compromise text amends provisions on AI literacy, conformity assessment, national regulatory sandboxes and obligations for certain high‑risk systems, Digital Watch reported. The Consilium press release said the changes form part of the Omnibus VII simplification agenda and target implementation bottlenecks identified since the AI Act’s 2024 adoption. (consilium.europa.eu) Legal advisers from Taylor Wessing and other firms said the package also clarifies how the AI Act overlaps with existing machinery and product safety rules. (taylorwessing.com) ### How do the compromise rules change conformity assessment and sandboxes? (dig.watch) The Digital Watch summary said the compromise narrows conformity assessment pathways for specific categories of providers and deployers and makes sandbox rules clearer. Taylor Wessing lawyers described the changes as introducing simpler, more standardised documentation routes — for example model cards and conformity artefacts — intended to reduce administrative burdens for vendors. (consilium.europa.eu) The Verifywise and law‑firm briefings list concrete deadline shifts — including a postponement for standalone high‑risk Annex III systems — as part of the same package of adjustments. (taylorwessing.com) ### Which deadlines were changed and to what dates? The provisional deal reset the applicability date for many high‑risk obligations: the latest published analysis shows standalone high‑risk Annex III systems move to December 2, 2027. (dig.watch) The Verifywise table and several law‑firm notes also record staggered new dates for watermarking, sandboxes and Annex I timelines, reflecting a mix of 2026–2028 target dates. (taylorwessing.com) ### Who pushed for the compromise and what did they say? The Cypriot Council Presidency chaired trilogue negotiations that produced the provisional agreement on May 7, 2026, the Council’s statement said. (verifywise.ai) Matheson and William Fry briefings quoted negotiators and legal teams saying the changes respond to industry concerns about missing standards and the shortage of designated conformity assessment bodies. (verifywise.ai) ### Which stakeholders stand to gain or lose from the changes? (verifywise.ai) The Consilium press release identified EU companies and smaller providers as the principal beneficiaries of reduced administrative costs under the compromise. Industry observers at law firms warned that providers producing standardised compliance artefacts — for example model cards and conformity documentation — will find deployment friction reduced, while other actors may still face complex assessments. (consilium.europa.eu) (matheson.com) The Council compromise text now requires formal endorsement by the European Parliament and the Council and a legal‑linguistic revision before it can be published in the EU Official Journal; those formal adoption steps are the next named milestones. (matheson.com) (taylorwessing.com) (consilium.europa.eu)