The European Union’s first regulation on quantum technologies, known as the Quantum Act, has been delayed by approximately six months, with the legislative proposal now tentatively planned for the fourth quarter of 2026 instead of the originally targeted second quarter.
Multiple sources familiar with the Commission’s timeline told Euractiv that the regulation, which was expected by the end of June, has been pushed back as officials work through complex technical and policy questions surrounding quantum computing, sensing and communication technologies. Tech Sovereignity Commissioner Henna Virkkunen had championed the initiative as a cornerstone of Europe’s digital sovereignty strategy.
The Quantum Act is intended to transfer the key priorities of the EU’s Quantum Strategy, published in July 2025, into a binding legislative framework. The strategy set the ambitious goal of making Europe a global leader in quantum technologies by 2030, but observers have noted that the bloc is already falling behind both the United States and China in private investment and commercial deployment.
Five of the top ten global companies by quantum investment are based in the US and four in China, with none located in the EU, according to industry analyses. The delay to the Quantum Act risks further widening that gap, as companies in competitor jurisdictions operate under clearer regulatory frameworks while European firms face continued uncertainty.
The proposed regulation was expected to establish harmonized EU quantum standards, likely involving standardization bodies such as CEN/CENELEC and the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), to ensure interoperability and simplify compliance for businesses adopting quantum-safe cryptographic solutions. A significant portion of the Act was also designed to address post-quantum cryptography requirements for financial institutions and critical infrastructure operators.
The postponement comes at a particularly sensitive moment for European technology policy. The EU is simultaneously managing the rollout of the AI Act and the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA), both of which impose substantial compliance burdens on companies. Industry groups have warned that layering quantum-specific rules on top of these existing frameworks without adequate lead time could stifle innovation in a sector where Europe still has a competitive window.
Europe’s quantum hardware ecosystem is widely regarded as strong, with research institutions in the Netherlands, France, Germany and Finland producing world-class work. However, the continent has consistently lagged in quantum software development, a gap that clearer regulation and targeted funding were supposed to help close. Without the legislative certainty the Quantum Act would provide, venture capital may continue to flow to better-defined markets abroad.
The Commission declined to comment on the revised timeline. Officials working on the file have indicated that the delay is driven by a desire to get the regulation right rather than by political opposition, but the slippage underscores the challenges Brussels faces in moving quickly on frontier technology policy while balancing competing industrial, security and civil liberties interests.
Euractiv – EU’s first quantum tech regulation delayed by six months
European Commission – EU Quantum Act consultation page
Sources: Euractiv, European Commission, Bird and Bird
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