The Computer and Communications Industry Association Europe (CCIA), an international not-for-profit association representing a broad section of tech companies, has requested the EU to temporarily pause the implementation of the AI Act.
The world’s first comprehensive law on artificial intelligence, the AI Act, went into effect in Europe in August 2024. The objective is to restrict the use of AI technology in Europe to safeguard fundamental civil rights such as privacy and to prevent potential dangers like discrimination and exclusion.
Various provisions of the new legislation are being implemented in phases.
For example, banned AI applications have been forbidden in the EU since February 2025. These include systems capable of assessing and scoring people’s mood and behavior, scraping software, smart cameras that can be used for real-time biometric identification, predictive policing based on physical appearances, and applications designed to manipulate human behavior.
The CCIA feels that the EU is rushing the implementation of the AI Act. The lobby group warns that a rushed rollout of the legislation jeopardizes the EU’s AI aspirations, including the European Commission’s projected €3.4 trillion boost from AI to the EU economy by 2030. Therefore, the CCIA urges Member States to acknowledge the risks of implementing the AI Act without a finalized framework.
“Europe cannot lead on AI with one foot on the brake. With critical parts of the AI Act still missing just weeks before rules kick in, we need a pause to get the Act right, or risk stalling innovation altogether,” Daniel Friedlaender, Europe’s Senior Vice President and Head of Office at the CCIA, said in a statement.
“If the EU is serious about turning its €3.4 trillion AI promise into reality, it must act now. Reflecting growing concerns among governments and AI innovators, the Commission should be instructed to pause and simplify, giving companies a fair shot to comply and compete,” CCIA Europe’s Senior Policy Manager, Boniface de Champris, commented on the EU’s current approach.
Earlier this month, Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, told news outlets that she is implementing the AI Act “in a very innovation-friendly manner.” However, some stakeholders find that it is actually hindering innovation.
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