The Electron-Ion Collider is gearing up for "Critical Decision 2", the project baseline with defined scope, cost and schedule. Lattice designs are being finalized, and preliminary component design is being carried out. Beam dynamics studies such as dynamic aperture optimization, instability and polarization studies, and beam-beam simulations are continuing in parallel. We report on the latest developments and the overall status of the project, and present the plans for future activities.