EU Code of Practice on AI-generated content marking enters final June 2026 publication — Article 50(2) marking + deployer-side labeling obligations now have implementation specification
The final EU Code of Practice on marking and labeling AI-generated content publishes in June 2026 — the most-specific operational implementation guidance for Article 50(2) of the AI Act to date. The Code addresses both provider-side marking obligations (generative AI systems) and deployer-side labeling requirements (deepfakes and AI-generated text on public-interest matters).
The substantive piece is the dual-obligation specification. Article 50(2) of the AI Act creates obligations for both AI system providers (generation-side marking) and AI system deployers (publication-side labeling); enterprise compliance teams have been waiting for operational guidance on what specific marking technology, what deployer-labeling thresholds, and what 'public interest' triggers labeling obligation. The Code of Practice landing in June provides that specification ~6 weeks before the August 2 full-enforcement date — tight but operationally workable for vendors that prepared.
The connection to the EU AI Office's separate June 1 independent-expert-support mandate is structurally important. The two pieces together — implementation specification (Code of Practice) plus capacity-building (expert support pool) — convert the Article 50(2) regime from a theoretical August 2 deadline into operationally-enforceable rules. EU AI compliance complexity through Q3 2026 will scale with the Code's specifications.
Global Policy Watch — EU AI Act Update: Timeline Relief, Targeted Simplification, and New Prohibitions → · Pearl Cohen — New Guidance under the EU AI Act Ahead of its Next Enforcement Date → · EU Digital Strategy — AI Act →