EU moves to streamline its landmark AI rules with a new ‘digital omnibus’ regulation

The European Union is taking a follow‑up step to its landmark AI Act by agreeing on a new regulation designed to simplify how the rules apply across heavily regulated industries. EU negotiators from the Council and Parliament have reached a political deal on what’s informally known as the “digital omnibus on AI,” which tweaks existing sector‑specific laws so they mesh more cleanly with the AI Act.

In areas like medical devices, toys and industrial machinery, EU law already contains detailed safety requirements. Under the new framework, if those rules adequately cover AI‑related risks, parts of the AI Act can be dialed back to avoid overlapping or contradictory obligations. At the same time, high‑risk uses of AI—such as systems for critical infrastructure or biometric surveillance—will remain subject to the AI Act’s strict transparency, documentation and testing duties.

Brussels hopes this approach will make life easier for manufacturers and smaller AI vendors that feared a tangle of duplicative red tape once the AI Act starts phasing in over the next few years. EU officials describe the omnibus regulation as the final piece needed to roll out “trustworthy AI” at scale without smothering industrial innovation, and plan to adopt the implementing rules in parallel with the Act’s staged entry into force.