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The formation of a new IEC working group on fibre optic quantum interconnect will align with the technologies of many European SMEs who would benefit from early engagement to develop standards, which help accelerate commercial adoption of their approaches. Therefore, I am strongly engaging with European quantum SMEs to secure support for the proposal and encourage participation. The successful formation of the WG would be followed by the establishment of liaisons to ISO/IEC JTC3 and CEN/CENELEC TC86

The formation of IEC TC86 WG11 aligns well with the technologies of many European SMEs who would benefit from early engagement to develop standards, which help accelerate commercial adoption of their approaches. I am strongly engaging with European quantum SMEs to encourage participation from Europe; at the moment, the membership of the group overwhelmingly European (85%).

The work of the IETF ROLL WG significantly impacts European SMEs by developing internationally recognised open standards, such as RPL. RPL presents multiple open-source implementations has been tested through extensive simulations and continuous evaluations. Also, RPL meets all their required capabilities, such as energy-efficient mechanisms, which are pivotal for sustainable growth.
Moreover, the continuous enhancements by the ROLL WG are vital for the evolution and adaptation of new use cases pertinent to the European context. These improvements ensure robust interoperability and adherence to security standards, both critical for SMEs operating in the dynamic European market. This commitment to excellence and relevance is applied in the standard reviews carried out within the IETF Directorates, such as IoT, Routing, and General-Area sectors. Such endeavours underscore our dedication to supporting European SMEs' technological advancement and operational efficiency.

Harmonised cybersecurity standards for AI systems need to be developed and adopted, as a matter of urgency, for the benefit of the European industry, including SMEs and startups, as well as users and consumers. In this context, it is necessary to demonstrate the trustworthiness of AI systems. Cybersecurity is one of the many aspects of trustworthiness.

The AI Act highlights the importance of EU harmonised standards and conformity assessment (based on such harmonised standards) for industrial stakeholders (providers and deployers) and also for users of AI systems. Harmonised cybersecurity standards for AI systems need to be developed and adopted as a matter of urgency, for the benefit of the European industry, including SMEs and startups, as well as users of AI systems. In this context, it is necessary to demonstrate the trustworthiness of AI systems. Cybersecurity is just one of the many aspects of trustworthiness.
A balanced representation of interests involving all relevant stakeholders in the development of standards, contributions from SMEs, consumer organisations and environmental and social stakeholders are therefore welcome. FM Tech Consult BV is a Belgium-based SME.

The smart energy is currently not only an important market trend of a dynamic growth and rapid technological development, but also a central axis in the EU's Green Deal strategy joining ICT and energy sectors as main pillars for the EU development facing serious energy challenges. Furthermore the green transformation is currently considered to be an important aspect of the European energy security, especially in view of the international situation, the Russian invasion on Ukraine and the scaling energy crisis concerning hydrocarbons. In regard to these challenges the European Commission strategically plans to secure advancing renewable energy technologies further enabled by ICT and a leading global position of the EU in smart energy, transforming the global warming and the international situation challanges into a growth opportunity for EU SMEs driving European innovation with a focus on smart energy. Action's efforts in driving international smart PV standardisation supports EU SMEs.

This project clarifies for SMEs when they use standards related to trustworthiness characteristics, as conformity assessment for those characteristics will be done for defined domains and operating conditions.