Ethereum Foundation Releases EF Mandate Defining Stewardship Role and Core Principles

The Ethereum Foundation published the EF Mandate on March 13, a 38-page document in PDF and onchain format describing the "promise of Ethereum" and the EF's role in the ecosystem. The Mandate positions the EF as a steward—not owner or ruler—tasked with keeping the network decentralized and resilient, defining two main principles: maintaining Ethereum as "CROPS" (censorship resistant, open source, private and secure) and scaling access to self-sovereignty for users. The document introduces the "walkaway test" to ensure the protocol can function even if the EF and core developers disappeared, while cofounder Vitalik Buterin described Ethereum as "a sanctuary technology" in a post on X. The release follows internal leadership restructuring at the Foundation, with Buterin writing they are "doubling down on Ethereum" for the network's next chapter.