The European Commission considered that the measures taken by 10 Member States of the European Union (EU) to restrict or ban high-risk fifth-generation (5G) mobile network operators, such as Huawei and ZTE, are “justified and be adequate”.
“The European Commission has just published a communication confirming that the decision by some Member States to restrict or completely exclude Huawei and ZTE from their 5G networks is justified and in line with the rules,” said the European Commissioner for the Environment. internal market, Thierry Breton, in a statement to the press in Brussels.
On the day EU countries took stock of the application of the cybersecurity toolbox in relation to 5G networks, Thierry Breton pointed out that, following the recommendations of the European Commission three years ago, “only 10 Member States were using properties to high-risk suppliers”, with three countries currently working on the implementation of relevant national legislation.
For those responsible, “this is too slow and poses a major risk to safety […]as it creates a great dependency for the EU”.
“I call on all Member States and telecommunications operators to take the necessary measures without delay, because it is clear that the security of 5G networks is essential,” emphasized the European responsible for the guardianship without specifying, although Portugal is one of the countries that has moved forward with limitations.
“Of course, we will continue to work resolutely with lagging Member States and telecom operators and I cannot stress enough the importance of making faster decisions to replace high-risk 5G network providers,” he continued.
The position comes after the European Commission earlier this month praised the Portuguese authorities’ conclusions about the risk to the security of some 5G equipment, which could lead to the exclusion or application of restrictions on suppliers, stressing that “threats have no place to have”. in Europe”.
“I praise the Council [Superior] de Cibersegurança de Portugal for its informed decision to implement the EU’s 5G security toolkit,” said Margrethe Vestager, executive vice-president of the community executive with Digital’s portfolio, in a post on the social network Twitter.
Margrethe Vestager shared a report from a Portuguese newspaper about the possible Portuguese exclusion of Huawei from fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks, stressing that “threats have no place and will not prevent Europe from taking legitimate measures to protect its critical infrastructure. to protect”.
This was the first European response to the finding released last week by the Security Assessment Commission, in the framework of the Supreme Council for Cyberspace Security, about the “high risk” to the security of networks and 5G services from the use of equipment from suppliers that originate, inter alia, outside the EU, NATO or OECD and that “the legal system of the country in which it is established” or affiliated “allows the government to control, interfere with or pressure on its activities in third countries”.
In January 2020, the European Commission advised EU member states to apply “relevant restrictions” to suppliers deemed “high risk” in 5G networks, including exclusions from their markets to avoid “critical” risks.
This was a toolbox of recommendations for Member States to mitigate possible cyber-attacks, espionage actions or other types of problems related to the development of this new technology.
At the time, the community manager assured that these actions “are not aimed at a particular supplier or country”, but it is certain that the Chinese manufacturer Huawei has since been at the center of controversy for alleged spying in 5G equipment, which has rejected the technology and reiterated the lack of evidence.
Europe is Huawei’s largest market outside of China.
Adopted as a European priority since 2016, the bet on 5G has also raised cybersecurity concerns.
In March 2019, Brussels asked each country to analyze national risks with 5G, with member states discovering the possibility of cases of espionage or cyber-attacks, particularly from third countries.
Source: DN
