EU advances AI Act national supervision and key consultations

EU member states are moving toward national supervision under the EU Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act. UNESCO's Dec. 22 briefing outlines the national authorities framework and notes national laws defining supervisory powers will take effect in January 2026. The European Commission opened two consultations: a Dec. 16 consultation on protocols for reserving rights related to text-and-data mining and a General-Purpose AI (GPAI) Code of Practice, and a Dec. 18 request for feedback on a draft implementing act to establish AI regulatory sandboxes. (Sources: European Commission 2025-12-16; Futurium/Commission 2025-12-18; UNESCO 2025-12-22.)

The sandbox draft sets criteria for supervised testing environments and defines application rules the Commission seeks feedback on. The text-and-data-mining consultation addresses how copyright exceptions and “reserved rights” should operate when models train on protected works, and explicitly references provisions affecting general-purpose AI systems. (Sources: Commission, Futurium, MedQAIR.)

Member states must finalise or adapt national implementing laws to give supervisors powers by Jan. 2026. The Commission will use consultation feedback to refine implementing acts and sandbox criteria. Organizations building or testing AI should track national designation processes and upcoming sandbox application windows.

Why It Matters

• Prepare for national oversight: expect designated national supervisors and implementing rules effective January 2026; update compliance roadmaps and points-of-contact now.
• Copyright and training data: the Commission's consultation on reserved text-and-data-mining rights could change how organisations justify training on copyrighted works—assess datasets, licenses, and exposure.
• Sandbox opportunities: draft sandbox rules will define safe testing conditions; teams seeking early regulatory feedback should monitor application criteria and upcoming application windows.
• Cross-border risk: differing national supervisory powers may create operational variance across member states—plan for country-specific controls, reporting lines, and data flows.