Forty-six leaders of Europe's largest companies called on the European Commission to delay the implementation of the Artificial Intelligence Act in an open letter published on July 4, 2025. The chief executives specifically requested a "two-year clock-stop" before key obligations enter into force, affecting both the rules on general-purpose AI systems due in August 2025 and provisions for high-risk AI systems scheduled to apply from August 2026.
The letter was signed by CEOs from companies including Airbus, TotalEnergies, Lufthansa, ASML, Philips, Siemens, and Mistral, who lamented that "unclear, overlapping and increasingly complex EU regulations" are disrupting their ability to do business in Europe. The requested postponement would allow "both for reasonable implementation by companies, and for further simplification of the new rules," and would send a strong signal to innovators and investors worldwide that Europe is serious about its simplification and competitiveness agenda. The call comes as the Code of Practice on general-purpose AI models, a voluntary set of rules aimed at helping providers comply with the AI Act, has yet to be released despite its scheduled enforcement date of August 2, 2025.
The AI Act, which entered into force in August 2024 but will fully apply only in 2027, has recently faced intense lobbying pressure, particularly from American tech giants. European Commission tech chief Henna Virkkunen told POLITICO she would make a decision on whether to pause the implementation by the end of August if standards and guidelines needed to implement the law are not ready in time. Thomas Regnier, the Commission spokesperson on digital affairs, indicated that discussions within the AI Board are focused on "the timing to implement the Code of Practice, with the end of 2025 being considered" as a potential deadline.
Sources:
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Eliza Gkritsi
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Wall Street Journal
