European Observatory on AI Standards

The mark

Four rings, four movements.

The Observatory mark: four rings of twelve dots

The symbol is four concentric rings of twelve dots. They run from the inside out: Star Yellow at the core, with the largest dots and the smallest circumference, then Union Blue, then Signal Blue, then Translation Teal at the outer edge, its dots the smallest and most numerous per unit of arc. Each ring is a stage in the same passage — from the law, through the standard, to the system and the world it meets — and the Trustworthiness in Translation briefs are grouped beneath them here.

Star Yellow ring highlighted
01The RegulationStar Yellow

The legal concepts as enacted. Largest dots, innermost ring: the source of authority, and the smallest circumference — few provisions, heavy weight.

Series Preface: What Standards Do to IdeasArt. 40; Reg. 1025/2012; Blue Guide §1, §4
Live
Voluntary by DesignReg. (EU) 1025/2012, Arts. 2(1)(c), 3(6), 5, 10, 11, 22
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The Text That Came BackReg. (EU) 2026/1744; consolidated 02024R1689; Arts. 4a, 6(1a)–(1c)
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No Safety Property Is Self-JustifyingArt. 8(1); Art. 9(5)(a)
Soon
Union Blue ring highlighted
02The harmonised standardsUnion Blue

The M/613 request and what CEN-CENELEC returns against it. The mandated technical translation of the concepts in the ring beneath.

The Second RequestArt. 40(2), 53–55, Annex XI; C(2025) 3871
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Two Meanings of RobustnessArt. 15(1), 15(4); Recital 75
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The Measurement Nobody OwnsArt. 15(2)–(3); Reg. 765/2008; ISO/IEC 4213; ISO/IEC 17025
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Representative of What?Art. 10(3) vs 10(2)(f)–(g)
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Fairness Becomes an Acceptance CriterionArt. 10(2)(f)–(g); Art. 9(5); Art. 4a
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Human Oversight Is a Latency BudgetArt. 14(1)–(4)
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Transparency Is a DocumentArt. 13 vs Art. 86
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The Act's Answer to the Black Box Is LoggingArt. 12; Art. 19; Art. 26(6); Art. 72
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The Same Input, Two RegulationsArt. 15(4) vs 15(5); Recitals 75, 76
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Signal Blue ring highlighted
03Conformity assessmentSignal Blue

Testing, evaluation and the point at which a standard meets an actual system. More points, smaller each: obligation dispersing into practice.

Conformity by Reference to Documents That Do Not ExistArt. 40, 41, 43(1)(d); HAS assessment outcomes
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The Provider Writes the ExamArt. 3(12), 3(13); Art. 6(3); Art. 25; Art. 80
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Compliance Is a Property of Your OrganisationArt. 17; Art. 43(2); Annex VI; Module A
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The System That Changes After the ExamArt. 3(23); Art. 43(1)(d), 43(4); Blue Guide 3-point test
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The Loop, the Update, and the AgentArt. 15(4); Art. 3(23); Art. 25; Art. 96(1)(c)
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The HandoffArt. 14(3)(b); Art. 9(5); Art. 26
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What the CE Mark Actually PromisesArt. 40; Art. 47–48; Art. 82
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Translation Teal ring highlighted
04Surveillance and the worldTranslation Teal

Market surveillance, ISO/IEC work, third-country regimes, industry practice. The outer edge, where the European frame stops being exclusively European.

The Inspector Reads the Same StandardArts. 74–85; Reg. 2019/1020; Art. 99
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Words That Look AlikeArt. 3(20)–(22), 40, 43, 47–48; ISO/IEC 17000, 17029
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On the horizon

Next year, the outer edge in full.

The further out the rings go, the less the European frame holds alone: agents that act across systems and borders sit exactly where surveillance, ISO/IEC work and industry practice meet. The 2026 annual report takes up that ground on its own — a single-theme study of AI agents under the Act, expected November 2026.