Digital Transformation: Proposal for a horizontal legislation on cybersecurity for networkable products within the New Legislative Framework

Cybersecurity is a wide-ranging issue which touches on almost every aspect of life and affects a multitude of industrial areas. It is an essential precondition for all networkable products and crucial for the continued growth of Europe’s economy and its society.

Currently, various legislative reviews are under way or planned, which might further impact the way cybersecurity is being addressed in the EU. Many of these concerns are directly related to tangible products communicating over the internet (‘networkable products’) which are offered by Europe’s technology industries. Despite the fact that the above-mentioned legal initiatives may address valid cybersecurity concerns, if implemented as they stand, they will clearly lead to regulatory fragmentation with overlapping and contradicting requirements for manufacturers. Orgalim is convinced that, specifically for networkable products, a coherent regulatory framework is of the utmost importance, especially in the context of the Single Market. Therefore, Orgalim proposes the introduction of a horizontal legislation on cybersecurity for networkable products within the New Legislative Framework (NLF). The key elements (scope, essential requirements for networkable products, obligations to economic operators, conformity assessment, reference to standards and market surveillance) of such legislation can be found below in this document.

Orgalim is convinced that drawing up a single horizontal legislation on cybersecurity for networkable products within the NLF would be the best policy option to protect Europe against cybersecurity risks while strengthening the EU’s Single Market. If all actors are working together, the implementation of this option would be achieved more quickly than by drawing up individual fragmented regulations as is currently envisioned by the legislators.

To read our position paper in full, please download the document above.