EU Council Adopts Negotiating Mandate on Digital Omnibus AI Act Simplification

The Council of the EU agreed its negotiating mandate on 13 March 2026 for the Digital Omnibus on AI regulation, backing the Commission’s proposal to defer high-risk AI compliance obligations until harmonised standards are available from CEN-CENELEC, with backstop dates of December 2027 and August 2028. The Council’s mandate clears the way for trilogue negotiations with the European Parliament once the Parliament adopts its own position. The Cyprus Presidency described the agreement as essential for providing legal certainty and ensuring harmonised AI Act implementation across member states.