The European Commission is studying how to prevent EU member states from using Huawei and ZTE equipment in their networks telecommunications. According to Bloomberg, European Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen wants the Commission’s recommendations, known as the 5G Toolbox and presented in 2020, on stopping the use of high-risk providers to become a legal mandate.
For now, negotiations to ban both manufacturers from EU networks are still in the private negotiation phase. If they finally go ahead, despite the fact that decisions on infrastructure are a matter for the government of each member country, the legal mandate that would be approved would mean that member countries that do not observe it would face a procedure for non-compliance with the norm, which would result in economic sanctions.
The EU is increasingly focused on the risks that using telecommunications equipment from Chinese companies may entail for the security of their countries. Above all, due to the possibility of giving control of critical national infrastructure to companies that have a close relationship with the Chinese authorities, such as Huawei and ZTE.
To avoid this, Virkkunen is studying how to limit the use of Chinese equipment suppliers in fixed line networks, in a context in which high-speed fiber lines are expanding rapidly throughout the region. The European Commission is also considering adopting measures to discourage non-EU countries from using suppliers from China. Among them is the withholding of funding from the Global Gateway to nations that use it in projects that use Huawei equipment.
It is possible that the ban on specific suppliers will raise some political dust, since there are several EU countries that have long resisted the transfer of control over the decisions to be made in relation to Huawei to the European Commission. In addition, telecom operators will likely oppose the restrictions, arguing that Huawei’s technology is more advanced and cheaper than alternatives from other countries.
He Spokesman of the European Commission, Thomas Regnierhas stated that «The security of our 5G networks is crucial to our economy. The European Commission urges member states that have not yet implemented the 5G Toolbox to also adopt relevant measures to address the risks quickly and effectively. Failure to act quickly exposes the EU as a whole to clear risk«.
Given this, Lin Jin, Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministerhas stated that «The forced elimination in some countries of high-quality Chinese telecommunications equipment has not only delayed their technological advancement, but also caused them significant economic losses. Politicization of economic and trade issues under the guise of security will hinder technological advancement and economic development«.
