Both chambers say yes — and emphatically so
In March 2026, the Council and Parliament set out their positions on postponing the AI obligations. Parliament votes 569 to 45 — an unusual result for a contested digital file.
An EU law needs two approvals: that of the Council, where the member states sit, and that of the European Parliament. In March 2026 both set out their negotiating position on the «Digital Omnibus on AI» — the proposal to postpone the high-risk obligations of the AI Act.
- 13 March 2026: the Council adopts its negotiating mandate.
- 26 March 2026: Parliament adopts its position in plenary — with 569 votes in favour, 45 against and 23 abstentions.
The course of the procedure is documented by Parliament's research service: EPRS briefing on the Digital Omnibus on AI.
Why the number is remarkable
569 to 45 is around 93 per cent approval among the votes cast. That is not a narrow majority bought together with concessions — that is a house largely in agreement.
Postponing a deadline is an admission that it could not be met. That 569 members go along with it says more about the deadline than about the politics.
That is remarkable because the AI Act itself was hard fought. On postponing its most difficult obligations, by contrast, there was hardly any dispute — right across the political camps.
What it did not yet mean
A position is not yet a law. March was followed by the negotiations between the Council, Parliament and Commission — the so-called trilogue. The second attempt ended on 28 April 2026 without a result, even though both sides pursued the same objective.
That is the usual course of events and not a crisis: agreement on whether does not mean agreement on how. The postponement was finally adopted only in June, and entered into force at the end of July — six days before the deadline it removed.
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This is how our system does it