A little over a year ago, President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 14028 on “Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity”, thereby making a significant commitment to address persistent and growing cyber threat. One year on, the Charter of Trust reflects on the improvements, challenges and possible ways forward.

Aligned to our global complexities and interdependencies, the Charter of Trust is
committed to developing ways to bolster the lines of defenses that protect supply chains and critical infrastructure through 10 core principles that build trust in digital technologies. Of them, three in particular support key areas of the EO:

  • Principle 2 – Responsibility throughout the digital supply chain: Companies –and if necessary –governments must establish risk-based rules that ensure adequate   protection   across   all   IoT   layers   with   clearly   defined   and   mandatory requirements.
  • Principle 3 – Security by default: Adopt the highest appropriate level of security and data protection and ensure that it is preconfigured  into  the  design  of  products,  functionalities,  processes,  technologies, operations, architectures, and business models.
  • Principle 8 – Transparency and response: Maintain  and expand a network  of  experts  who  share  new  insights  and  information on incidents   to   foster   collective cybersecurity;   engage   with   regulators   and   other stakeholders on threat intelligence sharing policy and exchange best practices.

The members of Charter of Trust applaud the administration for their herculean effort to improve cybersecurity and look forward to the implementation of the EO practices, always standing ready with our principles to find innovative ways to get to the same goal globally.

The full paper can be found below.

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Contribution to the EU Commission Public Consultation on the revision of the Cybersecurity Act
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Contribution to the EU Commission Public Consultation on the revision of the Cybersecurity Act

The Charter of Trust welcomes the opportunity to participate in the European Commission’s public consultation on the revision of the Cybersecurity Act. As a coalition united by the goal of strengthening digital trust, we are pleased to share our consolidated response and recommendations.

We support Policy Option 2, which focuses on targeted regulatory measures that address key challenges without creating unnecessary complexity. In this context, we emphasize the need to enhance the role and resources of ENISA, to ensure effective implementation of both current legislation and the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework (ECCF).

Our recommendations aim to improve transparency, collaboration, and efficiency across the EU’s cybersecurity landscape. These include:

- Introducing clear timelines for the development of certification schemes.

- Enhancing stakeholder engagement throughout the process.

- Establishing more structured communication channels between ENISA, the Stakeholder Cybersecurity Certification Group (SCCG), and sectoral ISACs (Information Sharing and Analysis Centers).

We call for a stronger ECCF, one that is transparent, inclusive, and aligned with international standards to foster global interoperability and ease compliance for organizations across borders. Equally critical is the harmonization of certification practices across EU member states and the mutual recognition of certifications to minimize regulatory fragmentation.

The Charter of Trust advocates for technically robust, standards-based certification schemes, with well-defined roles and responsibilities. We also stress the need for clarity on the interplay between voluntary and mandatory certifications, particularly in relation to the upcoming Cyber Resilience Act (CRA).

To streamline compliance and reduce administrative burden, we propose a unified, risk-based incident reporting regime that consolidates requirements under regulations such as NIS2, CRA, GDPR, and DORA. This would not only simplify reporting for organizations but also enhance the EU’s overall cyber resilience. In addition, we recommend incorporating liability protections and grace periods for incident disclosure.

Finally, we urge the Commission to strengthen supply chain security by adopting a risk-based classification approach and establishing baseline cybersecurity requirements for ICT suppliers.

The Charter of Trust remains fully committed to supporting the European Commission in shaping a secure, resilient, and trusted digital future for Europe. We look forward to continued collaboration in building a cybersecurity framework that meets the needs of all stakeholders, today and in the years to come.
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In the face of rising global cyber threats, over 50 CISOs have called for greater international alignment of cybersecurity regulations to strengthen defenses and reduce fragmentation. This message was echoed at RSAC 2025, where experts from the OECD, European Commission, academia, and industry emphasized the need for principle-based collaboration. The Charter of Trust, a long-time advocate for regulatory harmonization, continues to support coordinated, effective approaches that prioritize clarity over complexity.
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We are delighted to welcome Richard Skalt, Advocacy Manager at TÜV SÜD, as the new Leader of the Advocacy Workstream at the Charter of Trust. Richard steps into the role following María del Pino González-Junco, who recently assumed the position of Chair of the Global External Engagement Working Group.

With a strong background in advocacy and a forward-looking vision, Richard brings renewed energy to our mission of shaping a secure digital future. As he puts it:

“My motivation is to preserve and build upon the strong foundation of advocacy activities we’ve developed over the past years. At the same time, I’m committed to ensuring we’re in a position to shape the policies that will define how our business model and operations evolve in the future – including the cybersecurity of products and systems, the use, deployment, and distribution of robust AI solutions, as well as cloud security and secure datacenters.”

In a world defined by accelerating digital transformation and increasingly complex regulatory challenges, principled leadership and effective collaboration are more vital than ever. Under Richard’s leadership, the Advocacy Workstream will continue to engage policymakers, raise public awareness, and strengthen education around key issues such as cybersecurity, AI governance, and secure digital infrastructures.
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