BRUSSELS (Reuters) -A code of practice designed to help thousands of companies comply with the European Union's landmark artificial intelligence rules will focus on transparency, copyright, safety and security, the European Commission said on Thursday.

The comments came as the EU executive presented a final draft of the guidance, which will apply from Aug. 2 but will only be enforced a year later.

Signing up to the code is voluntary, but companies who decline to do so, as some Big Tech firms have indicated, will not benefit from the legal certainty provided to a signatory.

While the guidance on transparency and copyright will apply to all providers of general-purpose AI models, the chapters on safety and security target providers of the most advanced models.

"Co-designed by AI stakeholders, the Code is aligned with their needs. Therefore, I invite all general-purpose AI model providers to adhere to the Code. Doing so will secure them a clear, collaborative route to compliance with the EU's AI Act," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee;Editing by GV De Clercq)