Last verified 31 August 2026. One dated page on where the EU AI Act actually stands: what applies today, what was deferred and to when, where the harmonised standards are, and how the Italian framework lines up with the European one. We keep this page current because our own work depends on it.
This is a reference page, not legal advice. For how we work on the AI Act, see EU AI Act Readiness and AI Governance.
The calendar
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, the Digital Omnibus on AI, entered into force on 27 July 2026 and moved the high-risk obligations in Chapter III, Sections 1 to 3, to 2 December 2027 for stand-alone Annex III systems and to 2 August 2028 for AI embedded in products already covered by EU harmonisation law. Everything else runs on its original schedule. Reading the Omnibus as a general reprieve is the expensive mistake of this autumn.
Regulatory reference
Updated 31 August 2026
| Provision | Applies from |
|---|---|
| Art. 5 · prohibited practices | 2 February 2025 |
| Chapter V · GPAI obligations | 2 August 2025 |
| Art. 50 · transparency | 2 August 2026 |
| Chapter IX · market surveillance (Art. 75, 75a–75d) | 2 August 2026 |
| Art. 50(2) · marking of systems already on the market | 2 December 2026 |
| Chapter III, Sections 1–3 · Annex III stand-alone high-risk | 2 December 2027 |
| Chapter III, Sections 1–3 · Annex I embedded high-risk | 2 August 2028 |
Harmonised standards (status 31 August 2026). No harmonised standard for the AI Act has been cited in the Official Journal, so the presumption of conformity under Article 40 is available to nobody yet. EN 18286:2026 (quality management, Art. 17) was approved 12 July 2026 and is awaiting citation. ISO/IEC 42001:2023, ISO/IEC 23894:2023, ISO/IEC 42005:2025 and ISO/IEC 12792:2025 are published and usable as a foundation. An ISO/IEC 42001 certificate does not equal AI Act compliance.
\n\nHarmonised standards
Compliance sits on two layers: what the Regulation requires, and which technical standard tells you how to satisfy it. The second layer is the unstable one, and it is where most of the confusion in the market comes from.
Italy
The two implementing decrees under Law 132/2025, Atti del Governo 421 and 418, were approved in final form by the Council of Ministers on 4 August 2026, eight days after the Digital Omnibus changed the European calendar, and are still awaiting publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale. Until that publication the Italian adaptation is not yet in force. The delegation expires on 10 October 2026.
How this page is maintained
Two items on this page can change at any moment, and both are checked regularly: the publication of the Italian implementing decrees in the Gazzetta Ufficiale, and the citation of EN 18286:2026 in the Official Journal of the European Union. When either moves, the text, the diagrams and the log below are updated on the same day.
Updates
\n\n31 August 2026. Re-verified the two items on this page that can move. The Italian implementing decrees under Law 132/2025, Atti del Governo 421 and 418, were approved in final form by the Council of Ministers on 4 August 2026 and are still awaiting publication in the Gazzetta Ufficiale, so the Italian adaptation is not yet in force. EN 18286:2026 has still not been cited in the Official Journal of the European Union, so the presumption of conformity under Article 40 remains unavailable to everyone. No substantive change to the guidance on this page.
OneSynergy works with organisations in Turin, Italy and across Europe on EU AI Act readiness and AI governance, alongside their legal counsel. See how we work on the AI Act.