A top European Union official has criticized Europe for not doing enough to block Huawei and ZTE equipment from entering 5G networks, urging countries to be more aggressive against the Chinese manufacturers.
According to a report by the EU’s Network and Information Systems Cooperation Group, fewer than half of the trading bloc members have excluded “high-risk” suppliers from their high-speed cellular networks.
Concerns arise from Chinese laws that could potentially facilitate espionage or limit product availability during trade wars. Multiple countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan, have banned or restricted the use of equipment from high-risk Chinese vendors in their 5G networks.
In 2020, all 27 EU member states unanimously agreed that they need the power to restrict or ban the use of equipment from Huawei and ZTE in their 5G networks. However, as of now, only 10 member states have implemented such bans or restrictions.
Another 14 member states are still preparing the required legislation, while three countries have not taken any action, according to the NIS Group report. European officials express concerns that failing to remove high-risk technology poses a major security risk and exposes the collective security of the EU, potentially affecting critical sectors such as health, finance, and energy.
To ensure coordinated efforts in securing 5G networks, the EU unanimously agreed on a 5G cybersecurity toolbox in January 2020. The toolbox, developed by the EU’s NIS Group, provides risk assessment factors and details strategic, technical, and nontechnical aspects that member states should evaluate. The EU’s 5G Observatory reported that 5G services are available in all member states, covering around 80% of the EU population.
While compliance with the toolbox is not currently mandatory, the European Commission may explore legislative avenues to enforce it if noncompliance continues. EU member states are being encouraged to implement the toolbox promptly to avoid critical dependencies that could pose a threat to their interests.
