The EU’s General-Purpose AI Code of Practice which aims to help businesses comply with the EU AI Act has been finalised.
The European Commission has today received the final version of the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice, a voluntary tool designed to help industry comply with the EU AI Act’s rules on general-purpose AI, which enter into application on 2 August 2025. The rules will become enforceable by the AI Office of the Commission one year later in August 2026 for new models and August 2027 for existing models.
“This aims to ensure that general-purpose AI models placed on the European market – including the most powerful ones – are safe and transparent,” the Commission said in a statement.
In the coming weeks, Member States and the Commission will have the opportunity to assess the adequacy of the guidelines, and further complementary Commission guidelines on key concepts related to general-purpose AI models are expected later this month. These will clarify who is in and out of scope of the AI Act’s general-purpose AI rules.
Back in April the Commission launched its consultation process on the guidelines that aimed to clarify key concepts underlying the provisions in the AI Act on general-purpose AI (GPAI) models. It invited stakeholders to “bring their practical experience to shape clear, accessible EU rules on general-purpose AI (GPAI) models in a targeted consultation that will contribute to the upcoming Commission guidelines”.
The Guidelines can be downloaded here, and they come under three main chapters: Transparency and Copyright, which apply to all providers of general-purpose AI models, and Safety and Security which is relevant only to a limited number of providers of the most advanced models.
“Today’s publication of the final version of the Code of Practice for general-purpose AI marks an important step in making the most advanced AI models available in Europe not only innovative but also safe and transparent,” said Henna Virkkunen, executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy.
“Co-designed by AI stakeholders, the Code is aligned with their needs. Therefore, I invite all general-purpose AI model providers to adhere to the Code. Doing so will secure them a clear, collaborative route to compliance with the EU’s AI Act.”
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