The European Commission has strongly reiterated its advice to member states to restrict or exclude Huawei from their 5G networks after Spain struck a deal to use the Chinese firm’s kit to store wiretap data.

The deal, worth around €12.3m, was first reported by Spanish site The Objective, and has sparked criticism on both sides of the Atlantic.

According to Politico, the Spanish Ministry of Justice insists the deal - which includes intelligence wiretaps - meets cybersecurity regulations and does not present a security risk. But US politicians have called on Washington to restrict intelligence sharing with Spain as a result of the “almost unimaginable” deal.

The US imposed massive restrictions on Huawei, ZTE and other Chinese companies in 2022.

The UK effectively banned Huawei from the UK’s 5G networks in 2020, with 2027 set as a deadline for removal of its kit.

Brussels does not have the power to squeeze Huawei out of EU networks though.

The EU established a “5G toolbox” to secure networks back in 2020 and subsequently declared “decisions adopted by Member States to restrict or exclude Huawei and ZTE from 5G networks are justified and compliant with the 5G Toolbox”.

Whether or not Spain installs or removes Huawei kit is a “national” decision.

But commission spokesman Thomas Regnier told The Stack on Friday, “The security of our 5G networks and data is crucial for our economy.”

The commission’s position was clear, he said. “We have assessed that Huawei represents materially higher risks than other 5G suppliers.”

Therefore, “Member States should adopt decisions on the basis of the 5G Toolbox to restrict or exclude Huawei from their 5G networks.”

He added that more needs to be done, and said the commission urged member states to implement the 5G Toolbox. “A lack of swift action exposes the EU as a whole to a clear risk.”

The link has been copied!