EU to drop threat of Huawei ban but wants 5G risks monitored
The European Commission will next week urge EU countries to share more data to tackle cybersecurity risks related to 5G networks but will ignore US calls to ban Huawei Technologies, four people familiar with the matter said on Friday.
European digital chief Andrus Ansip will present the recommendation on Tuesday. While the guidance does not have legal force, it will carry political weight which can eventually lead to national legislation in European Union countries.
The United States has lobbied Europe to shut out Huawei, saying its equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage. Huawei has strongly rejected the allegations and earlier this month sued the US government over the issue.
Ansip will tell EU countries to use tools set out under the EU directive on security of network and information systems, or NIS directive, adopted in 2016 and the recently approved Cybersecurity Act, the people said.
For example, member states should exchange information and coordinate on impact assessment studies on security risks and on certification for internet-connected devices and 5G equipment.
The Commission will not call for a European ban on global market leader Huawei, leaving it to EU countries to decide on national security grounds.
“It is a recommendation to enhance exchanges on the security assessment of digital critical infrastructure,” one of the sources said. The Commission said the recommendation would stress a common EU approach to security risks to 5G networks.
The EU executive's guidance marks a tougher stance on Chinese investment after years of almost unfettered European openness to China, which controls 70 percent of the global supply of the critical raw materials needed to make high-tech goods.
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