Europe's long-delayed AI Act implementation is moving forward with the constitution of two critical oversight bodies and the publication of binding transparency guidance. After significant delays, the European Commission announced the members of the Advisory Forum and Scientific Panel in June 2026, marking a major milestone in the EU's effort to regulate artificial intelligence systems.

What Are These New Oversight Bodies and What Do They Do?

The two bodies serve distinct but complementary roles in the AI Act implementation ecosystem. The Scientific Panel consists of 60 independent experts tasked with actively overseeing General-Purpose AI (GPAI) models, which are large language models and other broad-capability AI systems that can be adapted for many different uses. The Advisory Forum, meanwhile, includes 172 members representing a balanced mix of commercial and non-commercial stakeholders, designed to provide targeted technical advice to the European Commission and the AI Board.

The creation of these bodies represents a shift from voluntary industry compliance toward structured regulatory oversight. Unlike earlier phases of the AI Act, which relied heavily on industry self-regulation, these panels introduce independent expert review and multi-stakeholder input into how AI systems are evaluated and approved for deployment across Europe.

What New Transparency Rules Are Companies Facing?

Alongside the oversight bodies, the European Commission published the final Code of Practice on marking and labeling of AI-generated content, which operationalizes the AI Act's transparency requirements. This Code establishes concrete rules for how companies must disclose when content is created or manipulated by artificial intelligence.

The Code is structured in three tiers, reflecting different levels of obligation:

• Mandatory Measures: Rules that all providers and deployers of generative AI systems must follow to comply with the AI Act, including marking AI-generated content and detecting manipulated material.
• Recommended Voluntary Measures: Best practices that companies are encouraged to adopt to exceed minimum compliance, such as enhanced detection capabilities or user education initiatives.
• Purely Voluntary Measures: Additional transparency steps that companies may implement to build consumer trust, though they are not required by law.

OpenAI became the first major AI company to publicly announce it will sign the Code, signaling early industry acceptance of the new transparency framework.

How to Prepare Your Organization for EU AI Compliance?

Companies operating in or serving European markets should take several concrete steps to align with the new regulatory environment:

• Audit Your AI Systems: Identify which of your AI systems qualify as General-Purpose AI models or fall under other high-risk categories defined by the AI Act, then assess their current compliance status against the Code of Practice requirements.
• Implement Marking and Detection Systems: Develop or integrate technical solutions that automatically mark AI-generated content and detect manipulated material before deployment, ensuring your systems meet mandatory transparency standards.
• Engage with Oversight Bodies: Monitor guidance from the Scientific Panel and Advisory Forum, and consider participating in industry consultations to understand how regulators will interpret and enforce the new rules.
• Document Compliance Efforts: Maintain detailed records of how your organization meets each tier of the Code of Practice, as regulators will expect evidence of good-faith compliance efforts during audits.

The timing of these oversight bodies' constitution is significant because it removes a major source of uncertainty for companies. For months, the AI Act existed as law without clear enforcement mechanisms or expert guidance on implementation. Now that the Scientific Panel and Advisory Forum are staffed and operational, companies have clearer signals about regulatory expectations and can adjust their practices accordingly.

What Does This Mean for the Broader EU AI Regulation Landscape?

The establishment of these bodies coincides with broader European efforts to assert control over AI development and deployment. The European Commission also published its Tech Sovereignty Package in June 2026, which includes the Cloud and AI Development Act (CADA) and a strategic roadmap for AI in energy. These initiatives reflect Europe's concern about technological dependencies on foreign providers and market concentration in the AI sector.

The Irish presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began July 1, 2026, has announced plans to host an AI Summit in Dublin on October 14, 2026, bringing together EU and global leaders, CEOs, investors, and academics to discuss how Europe can harness AI for competitiveness. However, the presidency will also focus on the Digital Omnibus proposal, a draft law that seeks to amend various digital regulations including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which has raised concerns among data protection advocates about potential relaxation of rules governing AI development.

The tension between promoting European AI competitiveness and maintaining strict data protection standards will likely define the regulatory environment over the next 18 months. Companies should monitor both the October AI Summit and the Digital Omnibus negotiations, as outcomes in either area could significantly affect how they develop and deploy AI systems in Europe.

For now, the constitution of the oversight bodies and publication of the transparency Code represent concrete progress on implementation. Companies that begin compliance efforts immediately will be better positioned to navigate the evolving regulatory landscape and avoid the enforcement actions that are likely to follow as the Scientific Panel and Advisory Forum begin their active oversight work.