News
News for businesses: Google, AI, ads and the rules on the way
What changed, what it means for your business and what to do about it. With the day it takes effect.
What changes at Google, in AI, in advertising and in the rules for businesses in Belgium and the EU, and what it means for yours.
Every piece names the day it takes effect. The latest piece comes first, then what takes effect soon, then the rest by month.
Latest news
1Runs untilJanuary 2027Advice through the SME wallet only for cybersecurityFlemish government decides to end the SME wallet2026 budget used up: no new applicationsSME wallet endsSchaalklaar 2027: pre-application opensRunning a businessKMO-portefeuille abolished: what ends and what you can still useThe 2026 budget is used up and the scheme disappears on 1 January 2027. Open files can be completed until the end of 2027.VBS EditorialComing up
What takes effect in the months ahead, on the day itself.
- Applies from · AIAI-generated content labelling: the EU rule for every generative tool from 2 December 2026The grace period ends for image, audio and text generators that were on the EU market before August.
- Deadline · SoftwareProduct Liability Directive and software: what changes on 9 December 2026Software and AI become products under EU liability law, SaaS included. Whoever places them on the market answers for defects, fault or no fault.
- Applies from · Rules and obligationsNew EU rules in 2027 for software, websites and adsWhat changes for anyone selling software, running a website or buying ads in Europe next year, with who it reaches and what to do now.
- Applies from · SoftwareData Act cloud switching: no more exit fees from January 2027From 12 January 2027, moving your data to another cloud provider in the EU costs nothing in switching charges.
- Deadline · Rules and obligationsNIS2 Belgium deadline: certification due on 18 April 2027Belgium asks its essential NIS2 entities for a certificate by 18 April 2027. Six months remain, and suppliers abroad feel it through their contracts.
- Applies from · Rules and obligationsBelgium e-reporting 2028: invoice data to the tax office, almost liveBelgium plans near real-time reporting of invoice data by supplier and customer, replacing the yearly customer listing. Planned for 2028, not yet law.
Published earlier
October 2026
- Google call only ads sunset: they stop serving in February 2027You can no longer create them. From February 2027 the ones you have stop showing. Here is the switch.Advertising and marketing
- Digital omnibus cookies: the Council wants fewer consent requestsEU member states want audience measurement and device security allowed without a cookie prompt. Parliament still has to weigh in; your banner stays as it is for now.Rules and obligations
- Google spam update 2026: the September round took two weeksFrom 24 September to 8 October Google ran its longest spam update of the year, worldwide. Here is how to stay clear.Getting found
- WhatsApp Business pricing: replies to customers are no longer free without limitSince 1 October 2026 the WhatsApp Business API charges for service messages above 1,000 per number a month, and for utility messages inside the customer window.Software
September 2026
- EU ban on generic green claims applies since 27 SeptemberCalling a product eco without proof, or showing a sustainability label without certification, is now banned across the EU. How to rewrite your copy.Advertising and marketing
- Cyber Resilience Act reporting obligations: the 24-hour clock has startedAn actively exploited vulnerability or severe incident in a product sold in the EU now has to be reported within 24 hours.Software
- Search Console AI performance report: how often AI shows youSince 31 August Search Console measures impressions in AI Overviews and AI Mode for every site, by page and by country.Getting found
- AI Overviews opt out: every site can now say no to Google's AIEvery website can now leave the AI features of Google Search. For most businesses that sell something, it is a bad trade.Getting found
August 2026
- ChatGPT ads in Europe: chosen by the conversation, not by a profileOpenAI brought ads to 31 European markets on 24 August 2026. In the EEA and Switzerland they follow what people ask, not who they are.Advertising and marketing
- EU AI Act transparency obligations: what your chatbot must tell peopleAnyone talking to your AI in the EU must know it, wherever your company is based. Deepfakes and some AI texts need a label.AI
July 2026
- EU AI Act high-risk delay: the new dates in 2027 and 2028The AI omnibus is published law across the EU. High-risk deadlines move; the rules on chatbots, labels and prohibitions do not.Rules and obligations
- Google DMA fine: EUR 890 million, and search results that look different in EuropeGoogle must show other companies' hotels, shopping and travel services as fairly as its own. Since September you can see it in the results.Getting found
- EU 3 euro customs duty: low-value parcels pay from July 2026The EU dropped its customs exemption for parcels up to 150 euros. What changes for sellers inside and outside Europe.Running a business
June 2026
- EU accessibility law one year on: where online shops standSince 28 June 2025 online shops selling to EU consumers must work for people with disabilities. One year on: what regulators found and where shops trip up.Rules and obligations
- EU withdrawal button: how the online cancel function must workEU consumers must be able to cancel an online purchase with a button. What the button must say, and what has to happen behind it.Rules and obligations
- Consent Mode in Google Analytics: your cookie banner now decides what Google Ads learnsSince 15 June 2026 Google Signals no longer counts for Google Ads. Your visitor's choice in Consent Mode does the work.Advertising and marketing
- TikTok Shop Belgium: nine EU markets, one registrationSince 15 June 2026 businesses can sell inside TikTok in Belgium, the Netherlands, Austria and Poland, next to five markets already open.Advertising and marketing
- Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max: what gets switched in February 2027Google upgrades DSA campaigns to AI Max itself from February 2027. Move first and you test the new settings at your own pace.Advertising and marketing
- Google May 2026 core update: the second in six weeksFrom 21 May to 2 June Google reshuffled its results again. It has been quiet since, which is a reason to measure now.Getting found
May 2026
April 2026
- Google March 2026 core update: did it hit your site?For twelve days Google reshuffled its results. Here is how to read what that did to your pages, market by market.Getting found
- Belgium e-invoicing penalties apply since April 2026The grace period is over. If you invoice Belgian businesses, from inside Belgium or from abroad, this is who has to send e-invoices, who only receives and what a fine costs.Rules and obligations
March 2026
A site that keeps up with the rules
A new rule is a question your buyers type into Google tomorrow. For clients we update the site on the day itself: the amount, the date and what it means for their own customers.
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