New envoy: Czech companies will not be able to prepare for the AI Act by next year

Prague – Czech companies will not be able to prepare for the requirements of the European Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act by next year. Therefore, the Czech Republic has proposed to the European Commission (EC) to postpone the effectiveness of the regulation by two years and also wants to explore the possibilities of simplifying it, said the government commissioner for AI Jan Kavalírek (TOP 09) in an interview with ČTK. Kavalírek wants to have the national AI law, which implements the European regulation, ready by September. He also plans to discuss it with the opposition. The Vice President of the Confederation of Industry and Transport Milena Jabůrková told ČTK that, in her opinion, the Czech Republic has fallen behind in implementing the AI Act. The European Union adopted the AI Act in the first half of last year. The regulation is being phased in gradually, with full enforceability set for August 2, 2026.

“The requirements of the AI Act are extremely complex, new, and demanding. Companies declare that they will not be able to prepare for it by next year,” Kavalírek stated. He also noted that not all documents related to the AI Act are ready yet. According to Kavalírek, the Vice President of the European Commission Henna Virkkunen admitted that if the EC does not manage to prepare the accompanying regulations in time, she is ready to discuss postponing the effectiveness of certain parts of the act. “If a majority could be obtained in the European Union for this, it would significantly benefit our competitiveness, or we would significantly reduce the risk of stalling those innovations ourselves,” Kavalírek said. For example, representatives from France, Poland, Denmark, and Estonia have indicated that they are ready to discuss the Czech proposal, according to Kavalírek.

According to Kavalírek, the Czech Republic does not want to add any additional requirements to the European AI Act. The goal is to ensure that the conditions for the development of AI in the Czech Republic are as good as possible, he stated. “We want only the requirements of that AI regulation to be there. We do not want to go down the path of adding any national specifics; we see no reason for that,” he added. The law should also be structured in a way that it is acceptable to the political representation resulting from the parliamentary elections this autumn, Kavalírek said.

According to Jabůrková, the Czech Republic has fallen behind in implementing the AI Act. “It is shameful because it was negotiated during the Czech presidency; we boasted everywhere about how great it is, and then at home, we do not do our homework with serious determination to implement it,” she said. “However, everything cannot be left to the Minister of Industry and Trade, who is trying; the entire government, especially the Ministry of Finance, needs to face the implementation,” she added. For the development of AI, Czech companies need a predictable environment. (June 11)