EU Commission rebuffs calls to press pause on AI Act

The European Commission is not considering a so-called “stop the clock”, or a pause, of the implementation phase of the AI Act, a Commission official told EU lawmakers on Monday, despite a growing chorus of recent calls for it to do so.

“There is not going to be an overall moratorium on the AI Act. That is not on the table. We are focussing on making the rules work in practice,” Yvo Volman, director for data at the Commission, told the European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) during a hearing on Monday. 

Speaking last week, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi said the Commission should consider a pause of the AI Act due to unknown risks.

His comments add to ongoing calls from businesses for a “two-year clock-stop” on the rules to allow “both for reasonable implementation by companies, and for further simplification of the new rules.”

The AI Act – rules that govern AI tools according to the risk they pose to society – entered into force in 2024 and will apply gradually.

Digital omnibus

The Commission’s digital simplification package, set to come out in December, will also not entail a complete overhaul of the AI Act, Volman said. 

The Commission previously announced that it will carry out a digital fitness check, which will result in an “omnibus” simplification package aimed at cutting red tape and abolishing transparency requirements, for example. Some feared that the EU executive might bow to US pressure.

Since the administration led by US President Donald Trump took office in January, there’s been ongoing pressure on the EU to soften its approach toward big tech companies. In August, Trump threatened to impose tariffs on countries whose technology regulation hits American companies.

Volman said that the omnibus should “help EU companies, we want them to thrive in the world.” 

“The first priority is to have an optimal implementation of the rules, and to help the industry understand them,” he added. 

Last week the Commission opened a public consultation into the simplification package. The feedback period will close mid-October.  

When asked about the interplay between the AI Act and other pieces of digital legislation, Volman said the Commission will publish a report on the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the link with other digital rules, also expected in December.