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Brussels to the Bay: Cybersecurity & Digital Trust

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The livestream of this event is now available by clicking here.

This Brussels to the Bay panel on “Cybersecurity & Digital Trust: A European Perspective” organized by the EU Office in San Francisco focused on these main themes:  

  • Safeguarding Critical Infrastructure in a Changing Threat Landscape;
  • Building Digital Trust and Embedding Cybersecurity by Design; and
  • Strengthening Global Cooperation and Cyber Resilience.

Panellists notably discussed (i) the necessary collaboration between the EU and the U.S. to respond to cybersecurity threats increasing on both sides of the Atlantic, (ii) the dual perception of AI which represent both a challenge and an opportunity for cybersecurity, and (iii) the need to encourage partnerships across the public and private sectors.  

The goal of Transatlantic collaboration that many cherish is to implement similar frameworks in the U.S. and the EU, as a harmonized response to cybersecurity threats and attacks. To this aim, the EU regulation already provides high security standards built on “by design” principles for products containing digital components sold on the European market. Under this approach, security measures are implemented from the inception of the system rather than afterwards, once the harm has occurred. Among the existing EU regulations, the Cyber Resilience Act imposes mandatory requirements for manufacturers and retailers, governing the planning, design, development, and maintenance of such products. Additionally, the Cybersecurity Act provides a certification framework for products and services and is deemed to be evaluated and simplified based on a public consultation launched on April 11, 2025. 

Further along, the panel addressed the conflicting roles of AI with respect to cybersecurity. On the one hand, the technology contributes to increasing both the sophistication and the volume of cyber-attacks, as malware and virus are easier to build and access. On the other hand, the panellists also shared perspectives on how AI can be considered as an opportunity to improve cybersecurity protection and defence, notably allowing real-time threat detection response.  

Speakers also shared proposals to strengthen partnerships across the public and private sectors. Among others, “cyber dialogues” between countries and companies to exchange information, and focusing on means to counter ransomware attacks, were encouraged. They notably emphasized the need to consider differences between small and big companies with respect to their capacity to fight cybercrime and the resources that can be devoted. Additionally, the discussion raised the government’s responsibility, together with the industry community, to favour a business-friendly cybersecurity framework and to simplify compliance, from deployment to deployment of the business.

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Meet our speakers:

  • Christiane Kirketerp de Viron – European Commission Director for Digital Society, Trust & Cybersecurity
  • Andrea Carcano – Co-Founder and CPO, Nozomi Networks
  • Casper Klynge – Vice President & Head of EMEA Government Partnerships, Zscaler
  • Anjelica Dortch – EU-US Liaison, DIGITALEUROPE (moderator)

If you have any questions, please email us at invitation@euinsanfrancisco.eu.

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