KEY POINTS:
- Meta declined to sign the EU’s voluntary AI code of practice, according to TechCrunch
- The company cited “legal uncertainties” and measures “beyond the scope” of the AI Act, TechCrunch reported
- Over 45 European companies requested a two-year delay, RCR Wireless reported
- EU Commission maintains August 2, 2025 timeline despite industry pressure, Reuters reported via TechCrunch
Meta has refused to sign the European Union’s code of practice for its AI Act, TechCrunch reported on July 18, 2025. The decision comes weeks before the bloc’s rules for providers of general-purpose AI models take effect on August 2, 2025.
According to TechCrunch, Meta’s chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan stated in a LinkedIn post that “Europe is heading down the wrong path on AI.” TechCrunch reported that Kaplan wrote: “We have carefully reviewed the European Commission’s Code of Practice for general-purpose AI (GPAI) models and Meta won’t be signing it.”
The European Commission published the General-Purpose AI Code of Practice on July 10, 2025, according to Nelson Mullins. The Commission’s official website states that “The Code represents a voluntary tool prepared by independent experts designed to help industry comply with the AI Act’s rules on general-purpose AI.”
Industry Opposition Mounts
Meta’s refusal follows broader industry resistance to the AI Act’s implementation timeline. RCR Wireless reported on July 4, 2025, that “Fifty-odd major enterprises in Europe have signed an open letter to Brussels to call for the European commission (EC) to ‘stop the clock’ on the new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act.”
According to RCR Wireless, the signatories included “Airbus, BNP Paribas, Carrefour, Dassault Systèmes, Lufthansa, Mercedes-Benz, Philips, Siemens Energy, and TotalEnergies.” Bloomberg reported on July 3, 2025, that companies including “ASML, SAP, Mistral” were among those asking the EU to delay the start of AI Act rules.
Euronews reported on July 3, 2025, that “CEOs from more than 40 European companies” sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen asking for a “two-year clock-stop.”
Code Requirements and Scope
According to TechCrunch, the code “requires companies to provide and regularly update documentation about their AI tools and services; bans developers from training AI on pirated content; and comply with content owners’ requests to not use their works in their data sets.”
Nelson Mullins reported that the code “is divided into three chapters: Transparency, Copyright, and Safety and Security.” The publication stated that “All GPAI Model providers are expected to conform with the first two chapters on Transparency and Copyright to demonstrate compliance with their obligations under Article 53 of the EU AI Act.”
The Commission’s official website confirms that “The Code consists of three chapters: Transparency and Copyright, both addressing all providers of general-purpose AI models, and Safety and Security, relevant only to a limited number of providers of the most advanced models.”
Commission Stands Firm
Despite industry pressure, the European Commission has refused to delay implementation. TechCrunch reported on July 4, 2025, that Reuters cited European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier as saying: “I’ve seen, indeed, a lot of reporting, a lot of letters and a lot of things being said on the AI Act. Let me be as clear as possible, there is no stop the clock. There is no grace period. There is no pause.”
According to TechCrunch, the Commission “has held firm, saying it will not change its timeline.” The publication noted that the EU “published guidelines for providers of AI models ahead of rules that will go into effect on August 2.”
Meta’s Specific Concerns
TechCrunch reported that Kaplan called the EU’s implementation “over-reach” and claimed “the law will throttle the development and deployment of frontier AI models in Europe, and stunt European companies looking to build businesses on top of them.”
According to TechCrunch, Kaplan stated that “This Code introduces a number of legal uncertainties for model developers, as well as measures which go far beyond the scope of the AI Act.”
Other Companies’ Responses
While Meta refuses to sign, other AI companies have taken different approaches. Luca Bertuzzi reported on Twitter on July 11, 2025, that “OpenAI joins the EU code of practice for general-purpose AI model, the second signature of a leading AI company after Mistral.”
According to the Commission’s official website, “Providers of general-purpose AI models may sign the code by completing the Signatory Form and sending the signed form to EU-AIOFFICE-CODE-SIGNATURES@ec.europa.eu.”
Implementation Timeline
The Commission’s website states that “The AI Act rules on general-purpose AI apply from 2 August 2025.” According to TechCrunch, companies that have general-purpose AI models with systemic risk “on the market before August 2 will have to comply with the legislation by August 2, 2027.”
Nelson Mullins reported that “The General-Purpose AI Code of Practice, which was originally scheduled for release in May, is now under assessment by the EU Member States and the European Commission, with just weeks before the EU AI Act obligations go into effect.”
