Security News > 2023 > June > EU boss Breton: there's no Huawei that Chinese comms kit is safe to use in Europe

European commissioner Thierry Breton wants Huawei and ZTE barred throughout the EU, and revealed plans to remove kit made by the Chinese telecom vendors from the Commission's internal networks.

There are concerns that backdoors in Huawei equipment could allow China to spy on foreign nations, given Chinese law requires local businesses to share info with Beijing.

Those protestations haven't stopped the US, UK, and at least ten EU countries from banning the manufacturer's kit from their networks.

In his speech, Breton opined that EU member nations' failure to bar and eliminate Chinese equipment from their 5G networks "Poses a major security risk and exposes the Union's collective security since it creates a major dependency for the EU and serious vulnerabilities."

Back in March, Germany's economic ministry warned of significant disruptions to mobile networks and the fulfilment of coverage requirements if the country were to remove Chinese kit from its networks.

At least according to the Chinese embassy, Huawei accounts for nearly 60 percent of the country's comms infrastructure.

News URL

https://go.theregister.com/feed/www.theregister.com/2023/06/16/breton_calls_for_eu_huawei_bans/