EU Regulation 2024/1689, commonly referred to as the EU AI Act, is the world's first comprehensive horizontal legal framework governing artificial intelligence systems. Published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 12 July 2024, the regulation entered into force on 2 August 2024 and introduces a risk-proportionate approach to AI governance across the single market.
Legislative History and Policy Rationale
The European Commission published its initial legislative proposal in April 2021 following a White Paper on Artificial Intelligence in 2020. After three years of trilogue negotiations between the Commission, Council, and Parliament, the regulation was formally adopted in May 2024. The regulation's policy rationale rests on two pillars: creating legal certainty for businesses to invest in and develop AI, while ensuring that AI systems placed on the EU market are safe, transparent, and respect fundamental rights.
Relationship to Other EU Law
The AI Act does not operate in isolation. It intersects with the GDPR (Regulation 2016/679), the Product Liability Directive, existing sectoral harmonisation legislation listed in Annex I, and the proposed AI Liability Directive. The regulation explicitly states in recital 9 that it complements existing Union law on data protection, consumer protection, and product safety.
Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 — Article 1
“The purpose of this Regulation is to improve the functioning of the internal market and promote the uptake of human-centric and trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI), while ensuring a high level of protection of health, safety, fundamental rights enshrined in the Charter, including democracy, the rule of law and environmental protection, against the harmful effects of AI systems in the Union.”
- The regulation applies to providers who place AI systems on the EU market
- It uses a risk-based approach: higher risk triggers stricter requirements
- It is a directly applicable regulation -- no transposition needed by Member States
- It entered into force on 2 August 2024, with staggered application dates per Article 113
- Recital 1 identifies trustworthiness and human centricity as the guiding principles