Article 62 – Measures for Providers and Deployers, in Particular SMEs, Including Start-Ups

WHAT THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT

The Act’s formal SME support framework

Article 62 establishes a package of measures specifically designed to reduce the compliance burden on SMEs and startups. It imposes obligations on both member states and the AI Office to provide practical support — recognising that the same rules applied equally to a ten-person startup and a multinational corporation would have very different effects.

WHAT IT SAYS

Priority access, reduced fees, training, templates, and information

• Member states must give SMEs and startups priority access to AI regulatory sandboxes where they meet the eligibility criteria
• Member states must organise tailored awareness-raising and training activities on the Act’s requirements specifically for SMEs, startups, deployers and local public authorities
• Member states must establish dedicated communication channels for SMEs and startups to get advice and answers on compliance questions
• Member states must facilitate SME participation in AI standardisation development processes
• Conformity assessment fees under Article 43 must be set taking into account the size and market size of the provider — meaning SMEs pay proportionally less than large companies
• The AI Office must provide standardised templates for compliance documentation, maintain a single information platform, run public awareness campaigns, and promote best practices in AI procurement
• The AI Office must facilitate the exchange of best practices between member states on SME support measures

WHO IS AFFECTED

SMEs and startups across all sectors using or building AI

• SME providers of high-risk AI systems — they benefit from reduced fees, priority sandbox access and documentation templates
• SME deployers of AI systems — they benefit from tailored training and dedicated advice channels
• Startups at all stages — from pre-market development through to deployment
• Local public authorities who deploy AI — they are explicitly included in the training and advice provisions
• National competent authorities who must implement these support measures
• The AI Office which coordinates and supplements member state efforts

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SMES

Know your entitlements — and actively use them

• This article creates legal entitlements for your business, not just aspirational goals — member states are required to implement these measures, not merely encouraged
• Priority sandbox access is written into law: if you are an SME meeting the eligibility criteria, you have a legal right to be prioritised over larger competitors in sandbox selection
• Reduced conformity assessment fees are mandatory: if you need third-party assessment, your fee must reflect your size — challenge any assessor that does not apply this reduction
• The single information platform maintained by the AI Office is your first stop for compliance questions — it is designed specifically to answer the questions SMEs actually ask
• Standardised templates from the AI Office will significantly reduce your documentation burden — wait for them before building custom compliance frameworks from scratch
• The dedicated communication channels mean you should be able to get direct answers from your national authority without going through lawyers — use them

Related Articles

• Article 57 — AI regulatory sandboxes (the priority access mechanism this article builds on)
• Article 43 — Conformity assessment (where the fee reduction obligation applies)
• Article 63 — Derogations for microenterprises (a complementary provision for the smallest businesses)
• Article 96 — Commission guidelines (the AI Office’s guidance function that supports this article)