EU fails to finalize AI law
- European Parliament and European Union country negotiators failed overnight to agree changes to the AI Act, leaving a planned delay to key rules unresolved. - Talks broke down over a Germany-backed bid to let machinery and medical devices follow sector laws instead of the AI Act. - High-risk AI rules are due in August 2026, raising legal uncertainty for manufacturers and hospitals. (politico.eu)
European Union lawmakers and member states failed overnight to agree changes to the bloc’s AI Act, after talks ran into Wednesday, April 29. (politico.eu) The deadlock leaves unresolved a proposal to delay part of the law until December 2027, even as high-risk AI obligations are still scheduled to start in August 2026. (politico.eu) (europarl.europa.eu) The main fight was over machinery and medical devices. Germany backed a push in Parliament to let those products comply through sector-specific laws instead of the AI Act. (politico.eu) The AI Act is the European Union’s risk-based rulebook for artificial intelligence, with stricter duties for systems that can affect safety, health, or fundamental rights. The law entered into force on August 1, 2024, with different sections taking effect on different dates. (consilium.europa.eu) (europarl.europa.eu) Officials have been trying to rewrite the implementation timetable because the standards, compliance tools, and national authorities needed to enforce the high-risk rules are not all ready. The European Commission proposed those changes in its Digital Omnibus on AI on November 19, 2025. (europarl.europa.eu 1) (europarl.europa.eu 2) Parliament’s center-right European People’s Party pressed for a broader carve-out for industrial AI, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has argued for lighter rules to help companies such as Siemens and Bosch. (politico.eu) Opponents said the carve-out would blow a hole in the original compromise. Dutch Green lawmaker Kim van Sparrentak accused the European People’s Party of risking a legal vacuum, while Swedish conservative Arba Kokalari said more time was needed. (politico.eu) The delay fight is running alongside a wider European Union push to police the infrastructure behind AI. On April 28, regulators said the Digital Markets Act will increasingly focus on cloud and AI services, after opening cloud investigations in November 2025. (money.usnews.com) (digital-markets-act.ec.europa.eu) For companies building or buying AI systems in Europe, the immediate problem is timing. Negotiators paused the talks without setting a new date, and the August 2026 deadline is still on the books. (politico.eu)
