EU Commission rebuffs calls to press pause on AI Act
The European Commission rejected an overall pause on AI Act implementation, saying its focus is on practical application and helping companies understand the rules.
Summary
Euronews reports, in a piece published on 22 September 2025, that the European Commission is not considering a pause, described as a "stop the clock", on rolling out the AI Act. A Commission official gave this message to EU lawmakers on Monday, even though calls for a pause have been growing. Yvo Volman, the Commission's director for data, spoke at a hearing of the European Parliament's civil liberties committee, known as LIBE.
Volman said no overall moratorium is planned and that the Commission's attention is on making the rules function in practice. He added that the upcoming digital simplification package, due in December, will not amount to a full overhaul of the AI Act. His stated first priority is the best possible implementation and helping industry grasp the rules, and he said the package should help EU companies to thrive.
The article sets this against several pressures. Mario Draghi, whom the article names as Italy's prime minister, said the previous week that the Commission should think about a pause given unknown risks. Businesses have separately asked for a two-year clock-stop to allow reasonable implementation and further simplification. The AI Act, which sorts AI tools by how risky they are to society, took legal effect in 2024 and applies in stages. Some observers feared the Commission might yield to American pressure, and the report recalls that since President Trump took office in January there has been pressure on the EU to ease its stance toward big tech, including an August threat of tariffs.
On process, the Commission opened a public consultation on the simplification package the previous week, with feedback closing in mid-October. Volman also said a report on the Digital Services Act and its links to other digital rules is expected in December.