EU to impose ban on member states over Huawei 5G equipment

The European Union (EU) is considering a mandatory ban on using Huawei 5G equipment in the continent. The move comes after some EU members continued to use Huawei equipment despite knowing about possible risks.

Huawei and some other Chinese tech companies were blacklisted by the US government and EU over espionage allegations and collaboration with the Chinese government. While US lawmakers completely banned Huawei from operating in the country, only a third of EU countries have removed the Chinese vendor from their 5G communication network, the Financial Times says.

The EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said, “This is too few. And it exposes the union’s collective security.” The EU reportedly prepares a toolbox of security measures to guide member states in the process. Huawei claims that no court has neither found them engaged in malicious intellectual property theft nor asked them to pay damage for infringing others’ intellectual property.

Some EU members are still using Huawei 5G equipment, a mandatory ban is on the way

Following pressure from the US government in 2020, the EU members agreed on the toolbox of security measures that included certification requirements and diversification of suppliers. The toolbox is still in the works, and a European Commission spokesperson promised to monitor its implementation.

Among the EU members, Germany is the most notable country that delayed the implementation of the toolbox of security measures. The country said earlier this year that it’s reviewing the use of Chinese equipment in its 5G network. Deutsche Telekom, the largest telecommunications provider in Europe, reportedly has close ties with Huawei.

In response to the news, Huawei argued, “Assessing cyber security risks without sticking to technological standards, or excluding specific suppliers from the system without proper technological evaluation, is a violation of the principles of fairness and non-discrimination, and also against the laws and regulations of the European Union and its member states.”

Experts already noted that removing Huawei from 5G networks could cost over $100 billion. However, the potential risks can’t be ignored. The EU warned members of the “costs of long-term dependencies” on China, saying the case is similar to dependence on Russian energy after the Ukraine war. Portugal is the latest EU country to consider banning some Huawei 5G equipment from its network.