European Parliament pushes AI Act high-risk deadlines back while keeping the transparency clock alive

The European Parliament approved AI Act simplification measures by 423 votes to 57, with 174 abstentions, postponing certain high-risk obligations to December 2027 or August 2028 while delaying watermarking obligations to December 2026. For legal teams, the calendar has changed but the work has not disappeared: classification, transparency, governance records and contract allocation still need to be built before obligations become live.