TECH

EU states told to restrict Chinese companies’ access to 5G network “without delay”

The European Commission has told member states to “without delay” restrict a list of equipment suppliers for 5G networks, with Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE singled out as posing a “materially greater” risk.

The warning followed a report revealing that all but three of the 27 European Union member states have either passed or are in the process of passing laws allowing them to impose these restrictions.

The spokesperson of the European Commission confirmed that the three member states were deliberately not disclosed. The invitation of the commission is a recommendation, but the decision is up to each individual member state.

Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for the internal market, called on EU countries to join a group of ten member states that have restricted or banned Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE from their 5G telecommunications networks, due to the risks they pose to the bloc’s collective security.

“This is too slow and poses a major security risk and threatens the collective security of the union, as it creates a high dependence on the EU and serious vulnerabilities,” Breton said.

According to the report, the current situation creates a “clear risk of continued dependence on high-risk suppliers in the internal market” which has “potentially serious negative impacts on EU-wide security and critical EU infrastructure”.

Beijing has accused the West of lying when it claims Chinese equipment poses a security risk, saying the restrictions are actually a protectionist economic measure.

Huawei, whose equipment has been scrutinized by the British intelligence agency GCHQ since 2010, said the probe never uncovered a “backdoor,” although it did reveal “serious and systematic flaws in Huawei’s software engineering and cybersecurity competencies.”

Western concerns about the risk posed by Chinese equipment manufacturers are often expressed in the context of China’s offensive cyber espionage activities and China’s 2017 National Intelligence Service Law, which allows the state to “compel anyone in China to do anything”.

Referring to the response to the invasion of Ukraine, Thierry Breton praised the union’s ability to “reduce or eliminate dependencies in other sectors, such as energy, in record time, when many thought it impossible.”

“The situation with 5G should not be different: we cannot afford to maintain dependencies that could become a “weapon” against our interests. That would be too critical a vulnerability and too serious a risk for our common security,” he warned. “Therefore, I call on all EU member states and telecom operators to take the necessary measures without further delay.”

mundophone