European AI Office updates transparency register as enforcement ramps up

The European AI Office updated the EU transparency code register and said it is expanding enforcement capacity, while several member‑state authorities have yet to designate national contact points, a briefing published Aug. 27, 2026, reported.

The update to the transparency code register, posted this week, adds entries and clarifications to the list companies must consult when preparing transparency notices and marking obligations under the EU AI Act. The Office also signalled an increase in supervisory resources aimed at oversight of high‑risk AI systems — specifically naming hiring and worker‑management tools among areas that will receive heightened scrutiny, the AI in Europe briefing said.

For employers and HR tech vendors the practical impact is immediate: transparency notices that accompany candidate‑facing algorithms and internal management systems will need to reflect the expanded register entries, and firms can expect more active supervision of models used to screen, score or manage workers. The European AI Office has tied those supervisory ambitions to the new register, portraying it as a shared reference point for both providers and national enforcers.

Despite that central push, the briefing highlights a growing coordination problem at member‑state level. Several national authorities have not yet designated the contact points the AI Act requires for cross‑border supervisory cooperation, leaving a patchwork of readiness across the bloc. Where contact points are missing or incomplete, the European AI Office’s ability to coordinate market checks, information requests and enforcement actions will be constrained, the report warns.

The uneven pace of designation has tangible consequences for HR teams operating multi‑country recruitment and workforce‑management programs. Without clear national contacts, employers face uncertainty about which regulator will expect compliance demonstrations, how to submit transparency notices, and how enforcement timelines will be applied in practice. Vendors that sell SaaS HR tools across borders must now plan for jurisdictional variation in how the Act is implemented and enforced.

This move fits into a broader regulatory trend across Europe. Since the AI Act became law, EU institutions have emphasised both centralised tools — like the European AI Office’s registers and guidelines — and decentralised enforcement through national authorities. Regulators have stepped up public guidance on transparency, while enforcement resources across the union have been bolstered to close gaps identified in earlier compliance cycles.

What remains unclear is the scale and timetable of the Office’s enforcement expansion. The briefing did not specify headcount increases, a calendar for cross‑border inspections, or the criteria the Office will use to prioritise cases. Nor did it publish sample transparency notices or a definitive checklist for HR‑specific systems; employers and vendors are still waiting for sectoral detail that would translate register entries into operational compliance steps.

For HR leaders, the takeaway is twofold: prepare transparency notices and marking practices now, and expect more active, sometimes fragmented, supervision. The European AI Office’s move to deepen its supervisory role signals that regulators will shift from advisory work to enforcement in areas that affect hiring and worker management. That shift will pressure employers and HR‑tech suppliers to tighten documentation, evidence bias‑mitigation efforts and be ready to engage with national authorities even as those authorities finish naming their contact points.