StandICT.eu and the Japan Business Council in Europe Strengthen EU-Japan Cooperation on Cybersecurity Standardisation

StandICT.eu and the Japan Business Council in Europe Strengthen EU–Japan Cooperation on Cybersecurity Standardisation.

The Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) aims to ensure all digital products are protected from cyber threats. It is a binding European Union law (Regulation EU 2024/2847) that introduces mandatory cybersecurity requirements for all hardware and software products with digital elements on the EU market. This rulebook requires that devices and software be designed, updated, and maintained to protect users in an increasingly digital environment. 

Harmonised standards simplify compliance with the CRA, allowing manufacturers to demonstrate that their digital products meet legal requirements by following technical standards. Therefore, the European Commission issued a formal Standardisation Request M/606 to European standardisation organisations (CEN, CENELEC, and ETSI) covering a set of 41 standards. This builds the framework for the MoU signed by StandICT.eu and JBCE. 

StandICT.eu is an EU-funded initiative that has run since 2018, with the central objective of fostering European experts' participation in international ICT standardisation. To reach this goal, it has four main axes: first, it runs a Fellowship programme funding 300+ European standardisation experts through 6 Open calls, providing over 4M€ in direct funding. Secondly, it manages the European Observatory for ICT Standardisation (EUOS), an interactive online ecosystem that includes an up-to-date standards repository and working groups sharing insights on ongoing standardisation efforts across different initiatives. Thirdly, via its Academy, it trains future experts in ICT standardisation. Moreover, it proposes a mentoring programme that connects ICT standardisation professionals to exchange knowledge and best practices, thereby improving engagement in global digital standardisation.

On the other side, the Japan Business Council in Europe is a leading European organisation representing the interests of more than 100 multinational companies of Japanese parentage active in Europe and contributing to EU public policy by sharing members’ expertise with decision-makers across sectors including electronics and electrical goods, the automotive industry, trading, chemicals, machinery and more. Its mission is to promote sustained cooperation between the European Union and Japan.

This announced collaboration aims to further consolidate both projects' commitments, especially in cybersecurity standardisation in Europe and Japan. 

Moreover, this MoU frames the work carried out within a dedicated working group, the “EU-Japan Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and JC-STAR Technical Working Group (TWG)”. This group, run by the two signing partners and the Cyberstand.eu project, brings together leading European experts to analyse, compare and map the cybersecurity requirements and conformity assessment approaches of the CRA and Japan's JC-STAR scheme. The group provides a structured forum for collaboration between standardisation experts and researchers. Its work focuses on identifying similarities and gaps between the two frameworks while fully respecting each jurisdiction's regulatory autonomy.

The TWG supports evidence-based technical cooperation by conducting detailed comparative analyses and facilitating continuous dialogue between European and Japanese stakeholders. The group helps strengthen international cooperation on cybersecurity standards between Europe and Japan.

 “Working side by side with JBCE and Japanese experts gives our Technical Working Group a first-hand understanding of how JC-STAR is designed, applied and assessed in practice. This direct dialogue lets us compare the CRA and JC-STAR with real insight from both sides, identifying common ground and gaps between the two frameworks. For StandICT.eu, it opens a lasting channel of expert exchange with Japan and strengthens our contribution to EU-Japan cooperation on cybersecurity standardisation.” 

reflects Luigi Colucci, project manager at the StandICT.eu Coordination team and member of the technical working group.

JBCE sees this MoU as a step towards strengthening cybersecurity cooperation between Japan and the EU as like-minded partners sharing common values. Respecting each side’s regulatory autonomy, we aim to promote legislative and standardisation alignment and mutual understanding of conformity assessment towards mutual recognition. With StandICT.eu, we will provide a forum for ongoing dialogue and information sharing among technical experts on CRA and JC-STAR requirements and assessment approaches, building understanding to support effective cybersecurity cooperation between Japan and the EU.

explained Hidetaka Ozawa, Policy Manager in charge of JBCE’s Standards & Conformity Committee.

Both StandICT.eu 2029 and Cyberstand.eu are funded by the European Union.

Read more about cybersecurity standardisation in Europe and Japan: 
EU-Japan Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) and JC-STAR Technical Working Group (TWG)

Published by the European Commission: 
Cyber Resilience Act Policy Framework 
Standardisation Request M/606

Published by Innovation Platform Agency Japan: 
Japan JC-STAR Framework