EU Wants to Enforce Ban on Huawei in Mobile Networks

The European Commission is considering stricter measures regarding Huawei. Member states would no longer be allowed to choose whether or not to allow Chinese network technology.

Since 2020, the European Union has recommended that member states not allow ‘high-risk’ vendors into mobile network infrastructure. The European Commission, led by Commissioner Henna Virkunen, now wants to convert this recommendation into a formal ban, according to Bloomberg. This would mean that member states would be required to completely exclude Huawei and other Chinese telecom companies from their 5G networks.

Several EU countries already followed the recommendation five years ago and announced a ban on Huawei, including Sweden. Belgian telecom providers also opted for European alternatives Nokia and Ericsson over the Chinese telecom giant during the transition from 4G to 5G. However, countries like Spain and Greece left the door open for Huawei.

“The security of our 5G networks is crucial for our economy. The Commission urges member states to take relevant measures to effectively and quickly address the risks. If action is not taken quickly, the EU as a whole faces a clear risk,” a Commission spokesperson told Reuters.

American Pressure

The decision to discourage Huawei came five years ago after an intensive lobbying campaign from Washington during Trump’s first term. It was claimed that Huawei has close ties with the Chinese government, posing a threat to the security of critical digital infrastructure. With Trump back in power and explicitly wanting to influence European policy, it’s not surprising that Huawei is high on the agenda again.

Huawei itself is countering with necessary lobbying efforts to defend its presumption of innocence. For example, it makes a big splash every year during the Mobile World Congress. Nevertheless, Huawei seems unable to turn the perception in its favor.

An EU-imposed ban would be a new setback for the company’s global activities, although the European market is only a relatively small part of the pie. It remains to be seen whether member states that have not followed the recommendation are eager for more top-down interference when it comes to national network infrastructure.

“Politicizing economic and trade issues under the guise of security will hinder technological progress and economic development,” the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Bloomberg. China does not hesitate to hit back hard when it sees its economic interests threatened.