EU AI Act: A Practical Playbook for European Businesses

On 1 August 2024 the EU’s landmark Artificial Intelligence Act entered into force, starting a three‑year countdown that will reshape how every European company designs, buys and deploys AI. The first hard deadline—2 February 2025—has already passed, bringing an outright ban on “unacceptable‑risk” systems such as manipulative social‑scoring engines or untargeted biometric surveillance.

Why the AI Act matters beyond Brussels

The Act applies extraterritorially: UK, Belgian and Dutch providers that make AI available in the Single Market are in scope just as much as start‑ups coding in Tallinn or manufacturing groups in Klaipėda. Fines can climb to €35 million or 7 % of global turnover—whichever is higher.

The Compliance Countdown

“Regulation should be treated as an accelerator rather than a brake. Companies that operationalise the AI Act early will arrive first to market with trustworthy AI products.”
— Max Golikov, Chief Business Development Officer, Sigli

Five‑Step Playbook from Sigli

- Map and classify every AI use‑case (risk tiers).

- Upgrade data governance (merge GDPR mapping with AI‑specific logs).

- Appoint an “AI Compliance Owner” and cross‑functional board.

- Prepare the Conformity Package for high‑risk systems.

- Embed continuous monitoring and automated incident reporting.

Case Snapshot: Crane‑Rail Leader Goes Compliant

A Belgian engineering company that installs crane rails asked Sigli to digitise project management and inspection. Phase 1 delivered a customer portal; Phase 2 added a mobile app with full audit trail. Today the system supports 156 active users across 69 client companies and is fully aligned with AI Act data‑governance and record‑keeping requirements.

Pan‑European Delivery, Baltic DNA

Sigli was born in Vilnius, operates an R&D hub there, and runs commercial teams in Antwerp and London. Membership in initiatives such as AI4Belgium keeps the company close to regulators and standard‑setting bodies, ensuring that best practice filters straight into client projects.

Quick Wins You Can Still Land in 2025

Call to Action

Download Sigli’s free AI Readiness Checklist or book a 30‑minute consultation at https://www.sigli.com/solutions/about-data-and-ai.