From 25 January to 3 February, representatives from partner companies worldwide gathered virtually for the Charter of Trust’s first Collaboration Week of 2021 to continue growing the strategic outlook of the Charter of Trust, more than three years after its creation. This virtual Collaboration Week was characterized by vibrant and insightful presentations from global cybersecurity experts.
Charter of Trust members benefitted from insights by global cybersecurity experts
Amidst a global pandemic, public and private organizations around the globe have witnessed a sharp rise in online scams such as COVID-19 phishing emails. The SolarWinds hack underlined the importance of increasing cybersecurity efforts across all sectors. Collaboration and knowledge exchange are key pathways for the industry and other organizations to share best practices and collectively raise resilience against a growing and complex threat landscape.
Over the course of two weeks filled with working sessions and discussion rounds, Charter of Trust Partners met in taskforces each dedicated to one of the 10 Principles. The Principle Taskforces active during this Collaboration Week were Principle 2 “Responsibility throughout the digital supply chain”, Principle 3 “Security by default”, Principle 6 “Education”, Principle 7 “Certification for critical infrastructure and solutions”, and Principle 8 “Transparency and response”. The Principle Taskforces took stock of the work done since the previous Collaboration Week in June 2020 and set concrete objectives for the coming months leading toward the 2021 Munich Security Conference.
The Charter of Trust also convened its Associated Partner Forum (APF) to discuss ongoing developments and cooperation initiatives with its Associated Partners. The APF this time was joined by Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security, the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, the Hasso Plattner Institute, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and TU Graz.
In addition, keynote speeches from an impressive array of high-level experts in the field of cybersecurity were highlights of the Collaboration Week that sparked discussions within the taskforces on the various challenges and opportunities the industry is currently facing. The Charter of Trust was pleased and honoured to host:
- Scott Jones, Head of the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security
- Atsushi Umino, Director, Office of the Director-General for Cybersecurity, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) of Japan
- Jakub Boratyński, Head of Unit for Cybersecurity and Digital Privacy, DG CNECT, European Commission
- Regine Grienberger, German Ambassador for Cyber Foreign Policy, German Federal Foreign Office
- Kiersten E. Todt, Managing Director of the Cyber Readiness Institute
- Raphael Yahalom, Research Affiliate, MIT Sloan School of Management
- Alexandre Dulaunoy and Andras Iklody, Computer Incident Response Center Luxembourg (CIRCL)
- Patrick Steinmetz, Cyber Risk Assessment Expert at BitSight Technologies
- Dmitry Raidman and Evgeniy Kharam, Co-Founders of the Security Architecture Podcast
The second virtual Collaboration Week of the Charter of Trust enabled an even closer collaboration among partners and exchanges with high-level external speakers through different sectors and time zones. After the success of Charter of Trust roadshows and webinars in 2020, additional online events are being planned to further advance the synergetic nature of the initiative, starting with the Brussels Roadshow on 25 February.
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Contribution to the EU Commission Public Consultation on the revision of the Cybersecurity Act
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External Engagement
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.
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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June 19, 2025
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External Engagement
Advancing Regulatory Alignment at RSA Conference 2025
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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May 01, 2025
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External Engagement
Richards Skalt takes over the Advocacy Workstream
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.
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.
Read more
April 29, 2025
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