EU Parliament appoints Michael McNamara as digital omnibus AI rapporteur

Irish MEP Michael McNamara has been appointed as the AI rapporteur for the European Parliament’s negotiations on the Digital Omnibus packages. While the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) and the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) will share responsibilities for the AI proposal, the data-focused omnibus will be handled by the LIBE Committee together with the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).

McNamara, who co-chairs the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) implementation working group, emphasised that amendments must improve execution without weakening core safeguards. He also highlighted the urgency of the August 2026 deadline for high-risk AI systems, arguing that speed should not replace transparency or accountability. He further claimed that for the EU to remain a global standard-setter, it must combine regulatory confidence with enforcement credibility and public trust to support responsible innovation.

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