EU Digital Omnibus on AI — Regulation 2026/1744: Complete Guide to the AI Act Reform (July 2026)
Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, published in the OJEU on 24 July 2026 and in force since 27 July 2026, amends the AI Act (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) plus the Civil Aviation (2018/1139) and Machinery (2023/1230) Regulations. It cuts red tape for SMEs and small mid-caps, reinforces regulatory sandboxes, defers key deadlines and introduces the new category of agentic AI (AIH 0401). Full breakdown with dates, articles and compliance strategy — with the official PDF downloadable for VIP subscribers.
1. What the EU Digital Omnibus on AI is
[Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 July 2026](http://data.europa.eu/eli/reg/2026/1744/oj) — the "Digital Omnibus on AI" — is the first major reform of the [AI Act](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/oj) (Regulation (EU) 2024/1689) since it entered into force. It also amends:
- [Regulation (EU) 2018/1139](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2018/1139/oj) on civil aviation.
- [Regulation (EU) 2023/1230](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1230/oj) on machinery.
Key dates:
- Publication in the OJEU: 24 July 2026.
- Entry into force: 27 July 2026 (three days after publication).
- General application of the AI Act: 2 August 2026 (Article 50 transparency and Article 4a legal basis).
- Article 5 (prohibited practices): 2 December 2026.
- High-risk (Art. 6.2 and Annex III): deferred to 2 December 2027.
- High-risk embedded in regulated products (Art. 6.1 and Annex I): deferred to 2 August 2028.
- Public sector (Art. 111.2): deadline 2 August 2030.
At [Bufete Padilla](https://bufetepadillatorrevieja.com/en/contact) we advise Costa Blanca businesses — startups, tech SMEs, developers and law firms integrating generative AI — on how to comply without slowing innovation down.
2. Political aim: simplify without lowering protection
Recital (2) of the Regulation itself concedes that AI Act enforcement has produced a larger regulatory burden than expected, for two reasons:
- Delays in the harmonised technical standards for high-risk systems.
- Delays in national governance rollout (notifying authorities, notified bodies, sandboxes).
The reform's formula is clear: proportional simplification + preserved protection of health, safety and fundamental rights. The bar is not lowered; burdens are redistributed and overlaps with sectoral law are clarified.