Zoom Image

Huawei in Beijing: Important network equipment supplier also in Germany

Photo: TINGSHU WANG/ REUTERS

According to a report in the Financial Times, the European Union (EU) is now considering binding requirements for its member states due to security concerns about the expansion of 5G mobile networks. Accordingly, companies that could pose a security risk should not be able to be used by the EU states for expansion. This also includes the Chinese network equipment supplier Huawei.

The move comes in response to growing concerns in Brussels that some countries have not yet taken action on the matter, the paper wrote, citing people familiar with the matter. The EU and Huawei did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said at a meeting with EU telecoms ministers last week, according to the report, that only a third of EU countries had implemented Huawei bans in critical areas. Until now, the EU Commission had left member states free to decide for themselves whether to exclude or participate Huawei in the future 5G network. The background to this is the concern about too much technological dependence on China. In addition, there are warnings of espionage and sabotage possibilities through Chinese components, which companies such as ZTE and Huawei strictly reject.

According to Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, Germany no longer wants to install Huawei products in modern 5G mobile networks in the future. His ministry has drawn up guidelines for future dealings with China, with the aim of reducing existing dependencies, especially in the area of critical infrastructures. The Ministry of the Interior, in turn, had asked the network operators in Germany in March, according to SPIEGEL information, to submit lists of so-called critical components of the manufacturers Huawei and ZTE, which are already installed and active in their networks. These would be examined very carefully and strictly, it was said at the time in government circles – subsequent bans were to be expected.

pbe/Reuters