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Regulation Tracker / EU AI Act / Chapter VI

Article 59
Further processing of personal data for developing certain AI systems in the public interest in the AI regulatory sandbox

Chapter VI — AI regulatory sandboxes. 13 distinct duties, powers or definitions are coded from this article, applying from 2026-08-02.

Amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744 (Digital Omnibus on AI), in force 2026-07-27 — about 75 words changed. The text below is the consolidated version of 27 July 2026; the 2024 text and the amending regulation are on EUR-Lex.

official text: EUR-Lex (consolidated 27 Jul 2026) · text © European Union (Decision 2011/833/EU) · coding CC BY 4.0 · data: obligations.json · Hugging Face · GitHub

The text

1. In the AI regulatory sandbox, personal data lawfully collected for other purposes may be processed solely for the purpose of developing, training and testing certain AI systems in the sandbox when all of the following conditions are met:

  1. (a)AI systems shall be developed for safeguarding substantial public interest by a public authority or another natural or legal person and in one or more of the following areas: (i) public safety and public health, including disease detection, diagnosis prevention, control and treatment and improvement of health care systems; (ii) a high level of protection and improvement of the quality of the environment, protection of biodiversity, protection against pollution, green transition measures, climate change mitigation and adaptation measures; (iii) energy sustainability; (iv) safety and resilience of transport systems and mobility, critical infrastructure and networks; (v) efficiency and quality of public administration and public services;
  2. (b)the data processed are necessary for complying with one or more of the requirements referred to in Chapter III, Section 2 where those requirements cannot effectively be fulfilled by processing anonymised, synthetic or other non-personal data;
  3. (c)there are effective monitoring mechanisms to identify if any high risks to the rights and freedoms of the data subjects, as referred to in Article 35 of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and in Article 39 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1725, may arise during the sandbox experimentation, as well as response mechanisms to promptly mitigate those risks and, where necessary, stop the processing;
  4. (d)any personal data to be processed in the context of the sandbox are in a functionally separate, isolated and protected data processing environment under the control of the prospective provider and only authorised persons have access to those data;
  5. (e)providers can further share the originally collected data only in accordance with Union data protection law; any personal data created in the sandbox cannot be shared outside the sandbox;
  6. (f)any processing of personal data in the context of the sandbox neither leads to measures or decisions affecting the data subjects nor does it affect the application of their rights laid down in Union law on the protection of personal data;
  7. (g)any personal data processed in the context of the sandbox are protected by means of appropriate technical and organisational measures and deleted once the participation in the sandbox has terminated or the personal data has reached the end of its retention period;
  8. (h)the logs of the processing of personal data in the context of the sandbox are kept for the duration of the participation in the sandbox, unless provided otherwise by Union or national law;
  9. (i)a complete and detailed description of the process and rationale behind the training, testing and validation of the AI system is kept together with the testing results as part of the technical documentation referred to in Annex IV;
  10. (j)a short summary of the AI project developed in the sandbox, its objectives and expected results is published on the website of the competent authorities; this obligation shall not cover sensitive operational data in relation to the activities of law enforcement, border control, immigration or asylum authorities.

2. For the purposes of the prevention, investigation, detection or prosecution of criminal offences or the execution of criminal penalties, including safeguarding against and preventing threats to public security, under the control and responsibility of law enforcement authorities, the processing of personal data in AI regulatory sandboxes shall be based on a specific Union or national law and subject to the same cumulative conditions as referred to in paragraph 1.

3. Paragraph 1 is without prejudice to Union or national law which excludes processing of personal data for other purposes than those explicitly mentioned in that law, as well as to Union or national law laying down the basis for the processing of personal data which is necessary for the purpose of developing, testing or training of innovative AI systems or any other legal basis, in compliance with Union law on the protection of personal data.

What it requires, coded

SafeLegalAI's reading of each duty in this article: who, what, from when, under which fine tier, and whether it reaches a firm, chambers, court or legal-AI vendor. Descriptive, not advice; the quoted words are the Regulation's.

  1. Art. 59(1)Data governanceHigh-risk

    In an AI regulatory sandbox, personal data lawfully collected for other purposes may be processed only to develop, train and test certain AI systems when all Article 59(1) cumulative conditions are met.

    "personal data lawfully collected for other purposes may be processed solely for the purpose of developing, training and testing certain AI systems in the sandbox when all of the following conditions are met"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to legal-AI sandbox projects using existing personal data to develop or test AI systems.
    See
    Art. 57 · Chapter III Section 2

  2. Art. 59(1) (a)Scope or definitionHigh-risk

    The sandbox AI system must be developed to safeguard a substantial public interest by a public authority or another person in one or more listed areas such as public safety, health, environment, energy, transport, critical infrastructure, public administration or public services.

    "AI systems shall be developed for safeguarding substantial public interest by a public authority or another natural or legal person and in one or more of the following areas"
    Who
    Provider, Public-authority deployer, Other
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Usually indirect for legal practice unless a public legal body develops AI for public administration or services.
    See
    Art. 59(1)

  3. Art. 59(1) (b)Data governanceHigh-risk

    The personal data processed in the sandbox must be necessary to comply with one or more Chapter III Section 2 requirements that cannot effectively be met with anonymised, synthetic or other non-personal data.

    "the data processed are necessary for complying with one or more of the requirements referred to in Chapter III, Section 2 where those requirements cannot effectively be fulfilled by processing anonymised, synthetic or other non-personal data"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant when legal-AI sandbox testing needs real personal data to meet high-risk requirements.
    See
    Chapter III Section 2

  4. Art. 59(1) (c)Risk managementHigh-risk

    Effective monitoring mechanisms must identify whether high risks to data-subject rights and freedoms arise during sandbox experimentation, with response mechanisms to promptly mitigate risks and stop processing where necessary.

    "there are effective monitoring mechanisms to identify if any high risks to the rights and freedoms of the data subjects"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to legal-AI sandbox projects processing sensitive client, employee, court-user, or public-service personal data.
    See
    Art. 35 Regulation (EU) 2016/679 · Art. 39 Regulation (EU) 2018/1725

  5. Art. 59(1) (d)Data governanceHigh-risk

    Personal data processed in a sandbox must be kept in a functionally separate, isolated and protected data-processing environment under the prospective provider’s control, with access limited to authorised persons.

    "any personal data to be processed in the context of the sandbox are in a functionally separate, isolated and protected data processing environment under the control of the prospective provider"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to legal-AI sandbox tests involving confidential or personal legal data.
    See
    Regulation (EU) 2016/679

  6. Art. 59(1) (e)Data governanceHigh-risk

    Providers may further share originally collected personal data only under Union data-protection law, and personal data created in the sandbox may not be shared outside the sandbox.

    "providers can further share the originally collected data only in accordance with Union data protection law; any personal data created in the sandbox cannot be shared outside the sandbox"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to legal-AI providers limiting onward sharing of personal data generated or used during sandbox tests.
    See
    Regulation (EU) 2016/679

  7. Art. 59(1) (f)RequirementHigh-risk

    Personal-data processing in the sandbox must not lead to measures or decisions affecting data subjects and must not affect their Union data-protection rights.

    "any processing of personal data in the context of the sandbox neither leads to measures or decisions affecting the data subjects nor does it affect the application of their rights"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to legal-AI sandbox projects so experimentation does not determine legal outcomes for data subjects.
    See
    Regulation (EU) 2016/679

  8. Art. 59(1) (g)Data governanceHigh-risk

    Personal data processed in the sandbox must be protected by appropriate technical and organisational measures and deleted once sandbox participation ends or the retention period expires.

    "any personal data processed in the context of the sandbox are protected by means of appropriate technical and organisational measures and deleted once the participation in the sandbox has terminated"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to retention and deletion of personal legal data in sandbox projects.
    See
    Regulation (EU) 2016/679

  9. Art. 59(1) (h)Record keepingHigh-risk

    Logs of personal-data processing in the sandbox must be kept for the duration of sandbox participation unless Union or national law provides otherwise.

    "the logs of the processing of personal data in the context of the sandbox are kept for the duration of the participation in the sandbox"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to auditability of legal-AI sandbox projects using personal data.
    See
    Regulation (EU) 2016/679

  10. Art. 59(1) (i)DocumentationHigh-risk

    A complete and detailed description of the process and rationale behind the AI system’s training, testing and validation must be kept with testing results as part of Annex IV technical documentation.

    "a complete and detailed description of the process and rationale behind the training, testing and validation of the AI system is kept together with the testing results"
    Who
    Provider
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)Chapter III Sections 1-3 apply from 2027-12-02 for Annex III high-risk systems and 2028-08-02 for Annex I high-risk systems under Art. 113(c) as amended; this row applies when the relevant high-risk rules bite.
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Reaches legal-AI vendors or public bodies — Relevant to high-risk legal-AI providers creating technical documentation during sandbox development.
    See
    Annex IV

  11. Art. 59(1) (j)TransparencyHigh-risk

    A short summary of the sandbox AI project, objectives and expected results must be published on the competent authority’s website, excluding sensitive operational data for law enforcement, border, immigration or asylum authorities.

    "a short summary of the AI project developed in the sandbox, its objectives and expected results is published on the website of the competent authorities"
    Who
    National competent authority
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Public summaries may describe public-interest legal-AI sandbox projects without sensitive operational data.
    See
    Art. 59(1)

  12. Art. 59(2)Data governanceHigh-risk

    For law-enforcement purposes under authority control and responsibility, personal-data processing in AI regulatory sandboxes must be based on specific Union or national law and meet the same cumulative conditions as Article 59(1).

    "the processing of personal data in AI regulatory sandboxes shall be based on a specific Union or national law and subject to the same cumulative conditions as referred to in paragraph 1"
    Who
    Public-authority deployer
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)
    Fine tier
    Art. 99(4)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Relevant mainly to public legal or law-enforcement authorities, not ordinary legal practice.
    See
    Art. 59(1) · Directive (EU) 2016/680

  13. Art. 59(3)Scope or definitionHigh-risk

    Article 59(1) does not override Union or national laws excluding further processing or laws providing a separate basis for developing, testing or training innovative AI systems in compliance with EU data-protection law.

    "Paragraph 1 is without prejudice to Union or national law which excludes processing of personal data for other purposes than those explicitly mentioned in that law"
    Who
    Provider, Public-authority deployer
    From
    (Art. 113 second subparagraph)
    Legal practice
    Institutional — Clarifies that legal-AI sandbox projects must still respect applicable data-protection and sectoral limits.
    See
    Regulation (EU) 2016/679

Cite

Regulation (EU) 2024/1689, Article 59 (Further processing of personal data for developing certain AI systems in the public interest in the AI regulatory sandbox), as amended by Regulation (EU) 2026/1744, consolidated text of 27 July 2026, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2024/1689/2026-07-27/eng#art_59 — text © European Union; only the Official Journal is authentic. Coding: SafeLegalAI (published by Cognesio LLP), "EU AI Act, structured", safelegalai.com/regulation/eu-ai-act/article-59, accessed 2026-09-08, CC BY 4.0.