Art.69

Article 69 – Access to the Pool of Experts by the Member States

Governance SME Relevant ~2 min read · 405 words

Article 69 allows member states to draw on the Scientific Panel’s pool of independent experts to support their national oversight and enforcement activities. It is a resource-sharing mechanism that helps smaller member states with limited AI expertise access the technical knowledge they need to effectively regulate high-risk AI systems and general-purpose AI models.

✓ Low compliance impact for SMEs

WHAT THE ARTICLE IS ABOUT

Sharing expert AI knowledge across member states

Article 69 establishes the mechanism by which member states can access the pool of independent experts maintained under Article 68. Recognising that not every member state has deep national AI expertise, the article ensures that technical knowledge available at EU level can flow to national authorities that need it — creating a more level playing field in AI enforcement capacity across the EU.

WHAT IT SAYS

Member states may request expert support for specific tasks

Member states may request the Scientific Panel to provide its expertise in support of their enforcement activities under the AI Act
The AI Office coordinates access to the pool of experts and manages requests from member states
Experts may assist member states with technical evaluations of AI systems, including assessments of whether systems meet the Act’s requirements
Expert assistance may cover GPAI models where member states lack the technical capacity to assess compliance independently
The mechanism is designed to ensure that enforcement quality does not depend solely on the resources of individual member states

WHO IS AFFECTED

National competent authorities — particularly those with limited AI expertise

National competent authorities in all member states — especially smaller ones with limited AI technical capacity
The AI Office which coordinates access to the expert pool
The Scientific Panel members who may be called upon to assist national enforcement activities
Providers and deployers whose AI systems are being evaluated with expert assistance

WHAT IT MEANS FOR SMES

More consistent enforcement quality across member states

This article primarily affects national authorities rather than businesses directly
The practical effect for SMEs is that enforcement quality should be more consistent across member states — a business in a smaller member state faces an authority with access to the same expert pool as a business in a larger one
If your high-risk AI system is being investigated by a national authority, that authority may be drawing on Panel expertise — meaning the technical assessment you face is as rigorous as anywhere in the EU
Consistency in enforcement capacity reduces the risk of regulatory arbitrage based on which member state has the least technically capable authority

Article 68 — Scientific Panel (the body whose expertise is shared under this article)
Article 70 — National competent authorities (the bodies that access the expert pool)
Article 74 — Market surveillance (the enforcement context in which expert support is most relevant)
Article 64 — AI Office (coordinates access to the expert pool)

← Back to the Guide