Timeline - Simplification omnibus packages

The Council gave its final green light on a new regulation aiming to streamline and simplify certain rules regarding artificial intelligence (AI).

The key elements of the new regulation are:

• a fixed timeline for the delayed application of high-risk rules: 2 December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products
• a new provision in the AI act, prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material
• the postponement of the deadline for the establishment of AI regulatory sandboxes by competent authorities at national level until 2 December 2027 and a reduced grace period for providers to implement transparency solutions for artificially generated content from 6 months to 3 months, with the new deadline set on 2 December 2026
• the clarification of the competences of the AI Office for the supervision of AI systems based on general-purpose AI models where the model and that system are developed by the same provider

On the interplay of AI rules with sectoral legislation in sectors such as medical devices, toys, lifts and watercraft, the new law provides for a mechanism that allows to resolve situations in which sectoral law has similar AI-specific requirements to the AI act, by limiting the latter's application in those specific cases through implementing acts. 

The adoption of the AI omnibus is a key deliverable under the ‘One Europe, One Market’ roadmap. 

• Artificial Intelligence: Council gives final green light to simplify and streamline rules (press release, 29 June 2026)

The Council has agreed its position on a proposal to simplify rules and procedures relating to industrial emissions, the circular economy and geospatial data. The proposal is part of the 'Omnibus VIII' simplification package.

The package aims to reduce unnecessary administrative costs and burdens while maintaining the EU's high standards of environmental protection.

• Simplification: Council agrees negotiating stance to simplify and streamline environmental rules (press release, 24 June 2026)

On 17 June 2026,  the Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on simplifying rules related to the classification, packaging, and labelling of chemicals, cosmetics products and fertilising products.

Those provisions are the remaining part of the so-called 'Omnibus VI' package, which simplifies rules in the field of chemical products, while maintaining a high level of protection for consumers and the environment.

• Council and Parliament strike deal to simplify requirements for chemical products (press release, 17 June 2026)

The Council presidency and European Parliament negotiators reached a provisional agreement on new legislation that will simplify security and defence procurement, facilitate defence investments and support the defence industry.

The simplified legislation aims to remove administrative delays in procurement, accelerate permitting-granting procedures, facilitate transfers of defence-related products within the EU and strengthen intra-EU cooperation.

This agreement will give member states and industry a clearer path to act quickly and will reinforce Europe’s defence capacity.

• Simplification: Council and Parliament strike deal to boost EU defence industry and readiness (press release, 10 June 2026)

The Council presidency and European Parliament’s negotiators reached a provisional agreement on several new laws that form part of the so-called 'Omnibus IV' legislative package.

The new laws on digitalisation and common specifications aim to digitalise existing physical requirements by implementing the 'digital by default' principle and introduce a procedure for the Commission to draw up common specifications in several legal acts.

Another new directive and a new regulation aim to extend certain mitigation and support measures available for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to companies that have outgrown the SME definition, the so-called small mid-cap enterprises (SMCs). The provisional agreement identifies this new category of companies as enterprises with fewer than 1 000 employees and either up to €200 million in turnover or up to €172 million in annual balance sheet total.

• Simplification: Council and Parliament strike deal to help growing businesses thrive and accelerate digitalisation (press release, 9 June 2026)

The Council set its position on part of the 'omnibus X' legislative package in the EU's simplification agenda.

The Council's mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament concerns rules on:

• the sustainable use of pesticides
• records relating to farming animals
• the use of plastics in the food industry

The presidency will continue its work on the last remaining proposal of the package.

• Council agrees position to simplify and strengthen food and feed safety requirements (press release, 27 May 2026)

The Council gave its green light to new rules on biocides extending certain data protection periods.

To take account of delays in the ongoing review of existing active substances in biocidal products, the protection period for certain data related to active substances that are still under review has been extended to coincide with the new end of the review programme, i.e. 31 December 2030. This will balance stakeholder interests and ensure regulatory fairness. The regulation is to be evaluated in full in 2026-2027.

The new regulation forms part of the so-called 'Omnibus X' legislative package in the EU's simplification agenda. It aims to improve the functioning of the biocidal products market in the EU, while ensuring a high level of protection for humans and the environment.

• Food and feed safety: Council adopts new law to streamline rules on biocides (press release, 11 May 2026)

The Council presidency and European Parliament negotiators reached a provisional agreement on a proposal to streamline certain rules regarding artificial intelligence (AI), part of the Omnibus VII legislative package.

The co-legislators:

• added a new provision in the AI act, prohibiting AI practices regarding the generation of non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material
• introduced a fixed timeline for the delayed application of high-risk rules: 2 December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products
• reinstated the obligation for providers to register AI systems in the EU database for high-risk systems, where they consider their systems to be exempted from classification as high-risk
• reinstated the standard of strict necessity for the processing of special categories of personal data for the purpose of ensuring bias detection and correction
• postponed the deadline for the establishment of AI regulatory sandboxes by competent authorities at national level until 2 December 2027 and reduced the grace period for providers to implement transparency solutions for artificially generated content from 6 months to 3 months, with the new deadline set on 2 December 2026
• clarified the competences of the AI Office for the supervision of AI systems based on general-purpose AI models where the model and that system are developed by the same provider

As for the AI act's rules for industrial AI and their interplay with sectoral legislation in sectors, a compromise was found between the co-legislators on a mechanism that allows to resolve situations in which sectoral law has similar AI-specific requirements to the AI act, by limiting the latter’s application in those specific cases through implementing acts.

• Artificial intelligence: Council and Parliament agree to simplify and streamline rules (press release, 7 May 2026)

The Council agreed its position on the proposal to streamline certain rules regarding artificial intelligence (AI).

The proposal, which is part of the Omnibus VII legislative package, adjusts the timeline for applying the rules for high-risk AI systems and introduces targeted amendments to the AI act that would:

• extend certain regulatory exemptions granted to SMEs to small mid-caps
• reduce requirements in a very limited number of cases
• extend the possibility to process sensitive personal data for bias detection and mitigation
• reinforce the AI office’s powers
• reduce governance fragmentation

Member states maintained the thrust of the Commission’s proposal, but also:

• added a new provision to the AI act prohibiting AI practices that generate non-consensual sexual and intimate content or child sexual abuse material
• introduced a fixed timeline for the delayed application of high-risk rules: the new application dates would be 2 December 2027 for stand-alone high-risk AI systems and 2 August 2028 for high-risk AI systems embedded in products
• reinstated the obligation for providers to register AI systems in the EU database for high-risk systems
• postponed the deadline for the establishment of AI regulatory boxes by national competent authorities until 2 December 2027
• clarified the competences of the AI office

• Council agrees position to streamline rules on artificial intelligence (press release, 13 March 2026)

The Council agreed a negotiating mandate on a proposal, part of the “Omnibus X” legislative package, which aims to streamline certain provisions regarding biocides, namely extending certain data protection periods.

Biocidal products are used to protect humans, animals, materials or articles against harmful organisms like pests or bacteria, by the action of the active substances contained in the biocidal product.

• Council agrees position to streamline rules on biocides (press release, 4 March 2026)

The Council gave the green light to a simplification of sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements for companies.

The legislation is part of the Omnibus I package that aims to simplify the directives on corporate sustainability reporting (CSRD) and corporate sustainability due diligence (CS3D).

The updated rules will reduce the reporting burden and limit the trickle-down effect of obligations on smaller companies.

Under the updated rules, only companies with more than 1 000 employees and over €450 million net annual turnover have to meet the CSRD requirements. Similarly, only companies with more than 5 000 employees and over €1.5 billion net turnover have to meet the CS3D requirements.

Next, the legislation will be published in the EU's official journal and enter into force on the 20th day following publication. Member states will then have one year to transpose the provisions into national law, except article 4 on the level of harmonisation, with which they will have to comply by 26 July 2028 at the latest.

• Council signs off simplification of sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements to boost EU competitiveness (press release, 24 February 2026)

The Council gave its final green light to the simplification of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The aim is to boost the competitiveness of EU agriculture by cutting red tape, supporting farmers, including small-scale farmers and business start-ups, encouraging innovation and increasing productivity.

The simplification measures aim to:

• ease the administrative burden for farmers and administrations
• increase payments to small-scale farmers and simplify the rules on conditionality, in particular for organic farms
• reduce on-the-spot checks

These measures could lead to annual savings of up to €1.6 billion for farmers and more than €200 million for member states’ administrations.

• Council signs off simplification of common agricultural policy (press release, 18 December 2025)

The Council gave the final green light to a revised regulation simplifying the InvestEU programme, as part of the ‘Omnibus II’ package.

The new rules will strengthen the EU's competitiveness by making it easier to mobilise additional public and private investment and by simplifying administrative requirements.

This in turn will support certain EU policies, such as:

• the competitiveness compass
• the clean industrial deal
• defence industrial policy and military mobility

The new rules will also improve and reinforce the existing InvestEU programme by increasing the size of EU guarantees to €29.1 billion and by making it easier to use the InvestEU guarantee together with existing capacity available in three legacy programmes - the European Fund for Strategic Investment, the Connecting Europe Facility debt instrument and the InnovFin debt facility.

• Council signs off simplification of InvestEU programme to boost EU competitiveness (press release, 11 December 2025)

The agreement reached by the Council's presidency and European Parliament’s negotiators simplifies the directives on corporate sustainability reporting (CSRD) and corporate sustainability due diligence (CS3D) by:

• reducing the reporting burden
• limiting the trickle-down effect of obligations on smaller companies

• Council and Parliament strike a deal to simplify sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements and boost EU competitiveness (press release, 9 December 2025)

EU ambassadors approved the Council's position on a set of proposals aiming to simplify rules on defence related to:

• procurement
• investments
• market conditions

These proposals are part of the so-called 'Omnibus V' legislative package and will help both EU member states and their industries to reinforce Europe's defence capacity.

Next, the Council will start negotiations with the European Parliament.

• Defence industry: Council agrees position on simplification package to boost Europe’s defence industry and readiness (press release, 26 November 2025)

On 17 November 2025, the Council gave its final greenlight to the postponement of rules on classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals and to giving  more time and legal certainty to businesses. 

This ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism is part of the Omnibus VI package, and it postpones to 1 January 2028 all the dates of application of transitional provisions for relabelling, mandatory formatting requirements, advertisements, online and distances sales and labelling of fuel pumps.

• Council signs off postponing rules on classification, labelling, and packaging of chemicals to 2028 (press release, 17 November 2025)

The Council and the European Parliament reached a provisional deal to simplify the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP).

The deal will help boost the competitiveness of the EU farming sector by cutting red tape and supporting farmers. These measures are part of the Omnibus III package and could lead to significant reductions in administrative costs for both farmers and national administrations. Assessments by the Commission show that farmers could save up to €1.6 billion per year and national administrations could save more than €200 million per year.

The main elements of the deal include:

• easing administrative burden
• increasing payments to small farmers and simplifying conditionality rules
• reducing on the-spot-checks and deleting yearly performance clearance

Next, the deal must be confirmed by the Council and the European Parliament before being formally adopted by both.

• Council and Parliament strike deal to simplify common agricultural policy (press release, 10 November 2025)

The Council set out its position on the remaining parts of the sixth omnibus package, a proposal to simplify rules on chemical products. 

Following a prior agreement with the European Parliament on the ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism for the regulation on classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals, the Council’s position focuses on:

• retaining the digital-by-default approach
• removing duplication of requirements

The Council also introduced stronger safeguards for consumers concerning the use of nanomaterials and potential hazardous substances in cosmetic products.

Next, the Council will start negotiations with the Parliament to reach a final agreement.

• Council agrees position to simplify requirements for chemical products (press release, 5 November 2025)

The Council adopted a regulation that simplifies and strengthens the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM), as part of the so-called ‘Omnibus I’ legislative package.

Replacing the current threshold exempting from CBAM goods of negligible value, the amendments set a new ‘de minimis’ mass threshold whereby imports up to 50 tonnes per importer per year will not be subject to CBAM rules. The measure is expected to exempt from CBAM mainly SMEs and individuals, which import small or negligible quantities of goods covered by the CBAM regulation.

The amended regulation will also permit to avoid any disruptions for importers in the beginning of 2026, while they await CBAM registration, and contains several other simplification measures for all importers of CBAM goods regarding, for instance:

• the authorisation procedure
• the data collection processes
• the calculation of emissions, verification rules
• the financial liability calculation of authorised CBAM declarants

Finally, the amended regulation contains adjustments of provisions on penalties and on the rules regarding indirect customs representatives.

• CBAM: Council signs off simplification to the EU carbon leakage instrument (press release, 29 September 2025)

EU ambassadors approved the Council's positions forming part of the fourth omnibus package, namely:

• digitalisation and common specifications
• small mid-cap enterprises

The proposed revisions will help prioritise digital formats across the EU, including for the EU declaration of conformity, and better support companies that have outgrown the SME definition.

Next, the Council and the Parliament will start negotiations with a view to reaching a deal.

• Simplification: Council agrees positions on digitalisation and common specifications, as well as on small mid-caps, to boost EU competitiveness (press release, 24 September 2025)

EU ambassadors approved the Council's position on simplifying EU rules on chemical products. The proposal postpones the date of entry of rules relating to the classification, labelling and packaging of chemicals to 1 January 2028. The proposed revised timelines will give EU companies more legal certainty as regards their obligations.

Next, the Council and the Parliament will start negotiations with a view to reaching a deal.

• Simplification: Council approves ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism on chemicals to provide legal certainty to businesses (press release, 24 September 2025)

The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional agreement to simplify the InvestEU programme. This will help boost the EU's competitiveness and mobilise additional funding.

The deal reinforces the investment programme with an additional €2.9 billion, making a total of €29.1 billion. This additional funding will help support EU policies linked to the Competitiveness Compass, clean industry, defence and military mobility.

• InvestEU: Council and Parliament agree to make the programme easier and more efficient (press release, 23 September 2025)

The Council agreed its position on simplifying requirements related to the common agricultural policy. The aim is to boost the competitiveness of Europe’s agriculture by reducing red tape, supporting farmers and encouraging innovation and productivity.

The proposal is part of the third omnibus package, adopted by the Commission on 14 May 2025. Next, the Council will negotiate with the European Parliament to reach a final agreement.

• Simplification: Council agrees position on simplifying the common agricultural policy (CAP) (press release, 3 September 2025)

The Council adopted a new law endorsing the Commission’s proposal to simplify EU rules in the field of batteries.

The main goal is to postpone the date of application of relevant due diligence obligations, as laid out in the EU’s battery regulation adopted in 2023, by two years, to allow economic operators placing batteries on the EU market more time to prepare.

The deadline will be extended from 18 August 2025 to 18 August 2027.

• Simplification: Council adopts law to ‘stop-the-clock’ on due diligence rules for batteries (18 July 2025)

At the June European Council meeting, EU leaders called for the acceleration of all aspects of work to ramp up Europe’s defence readiness by 2030.

In this context, they encouraged the Council and the Parliament to advance rapidly on the defence readiness omnibus proposals, part of the fifth omnibus package presented by the Commission on 17 June 2025.

• European Council, 26 June 2025
• Omnibus V package

The Council agreed its position on simplifying sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements to boost EU competitiveness.  

The Commission proposal, part of the first omnibus package presented on 26 February 2025, aims to simplify the directives on corporate sustainability reporting and due diligence by reducing the reporting burden and limiting the trickle-down effect of obligations on smaller companies. 

• Simplification: Council agrees position on sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements to boost EU competitiveness (press release, 23 June 2025)

The Council and the Parliament reached a provisional agreement on a regulation which simplifies and strengthens the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).

The main elements are:

• an exemption from CBAM obligations for importers, mostly SMEs and individuals, which do not exceed a single mass-based threshold set at a level of 50 tonnes of imported goods per importer per year
• simplification measures for all importers of CBAM goods above the threshold regarding for instance the authorisation procedure, the data collection processes, the calculation of embedded emissions and the emission verification rules
• further specifications regarding the arrangement on financing of the costs incurred in connection with the establishment, operation and management of the common central CBAM platform

This proposal, part of the first omnibus package presented on 26 February 2025, seeks to reduce the administrative burden, as well as compliance costs for EU companies, without compromising its climate goals.

• Carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM): Council and Parliament strike a deal on its simplification (press release, 18 June 2025)

Member states’ representatives approved the Council’s position on the Commission proposal to amend the ‘InvestEU’ regulation by:

• increasing the size of the EU guarantee and facilitating the combined use of the ‘Invest EU’ guarantee with existing capacity available under three legacy programmes (the European Fund for Strategic Investment, the Connecting Europe Facility debt instrument and the EIB’s ‘InnovFin’ debt facility)
• making it easier for member states to contribute to the ‘Invest EU’ programme
• simplifying administrative requirements, especially for SMEs and social economy enterprises

This proposal, part of the second omnibus package presented on 26 February 2025, aims to help mobilise around €50 billion of investments to support of EU policies, notably related to the Competitiveness Compass, the Clean Industrial Deal, defence industrial policy and military mobility. 

• Investment simplification: Council agrees position on the ‘Invest EU’ regulation to boost EU competitiveness (press release, 16 April 2025)
• Competitiveness compass
• European defence readiness

Ministers adopted the Council’s negotiating position (general approach) on simplifying the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM).

This proposal, part of the Commission’s so-called ‘omnibus I’ simplification package, seeks to provide simplification and cost-efficient compliance improvements to the CBAM regulation, without compromising its climate goals, as about 99% of embedded emissions in the imported CBAM goods would remain covered.

• General Affairs Council, 27 May 2025

The Council gave its final green light to the Commission’s proposal to postpone:

• the entry into application of the corporate sustainability reporting directive requirements for large companies that have not yet started reporting, as well as listed SMEs, by two years
• the transposition deadline and the first phase of the application (covering the largest companies) of the corporate sustainability due diligence directive by one year

The proposal, part of the first omnibus package presented on 26 February 2025, aims to reduce the complexity of EU requirements for businesses and boost competitiveness, while preserving the EU's economic, social and environmental objectives.

• Simplification: Council gives final green light on the ‘stop-the-clock’ mechanism to boost EU competitiveness and provide legal certainty to businesses (press release, 14 April 2025)

At the March European Council, EU leaders stressed that 2025 should mark a step change to boost competitiveness, strengthen the single market, promote quality jobs and ensure successful green and digital transitions, in line with the agreed climate objectives.

In this regard, they agreed to give priority to simplification and reducing regulatory and administrative burdens and called on the Commission, the Council and the Parliament to:

• work towards achieving the target of reducing administrative burdens by at least 25% for all businesses and 35% for small- and medium-sized businesses
• advance work on the simplification packages presented on 26 February 2025
• adopt the stop-the-clock mechanism on sustainability reporting and due diligence by June 2025
• adhere to better regulation principles throughout the legislative process

They also called on the Commission to present further simplification packages, including on industrial decarbonisation and on security and defence, and to continue reviewing the body of EU law to identify ways to simplify and consolidate existing laws.

• European Council, 20 March 2025

Competitiveness ministers discussed the simplification measures proposed by the Commission on 26 February (the so-called ‘omnibus packages’), whether the ‘omnibus method’ can deliver swift simplification on the ground and how to ensure that simplification measures are also prioritised at European and national levels.

• Competitiveness Council (Internal market and industry), 12 March 2025

The Economic and Financial Affairs Council exchanged views on competitiveness, simplification and improving the business environment in Europe.

The Commission presented the first two ‘omnibus packages’, adopted on 26 February 2025, on sustainability and investment simplification.

• Economic and Financial Affairs Council, 11 March 2025
• Omnibus I & II proposals

At the Special European Council on Ukraine and European defence, EU leaders called on the Commission, the Council and the European Parliament to advance work on simplifying the legal and administrative framework for defence readiness and on the Commission to prioritise a defence-specific simplification omnibus.

• Special European Council, 6 March 2025

In their Budapest declaration, EU leaders stressed the urgency of implementing a new European competitiveness deal to continue to make the EU more sovereign, productive, competitive and sustainable.

They underlined that the EU regulations must be clearer, simpler and smarter in order to better serve businesses, particularly SMEs. 

In this context, the leaders called on the Commission to:

• submit concrete proposals on how to reduce reporting requirements by at least 25% in the first half of 2025
• include ‘red tape and competitiveness impact assessments’ in proposals

• Informal meeting of heads of state or government, Budapest, 7-8 November 2024
• Budapest declaration on the new European competitiveness deal