Europe is edging towards 5G restrictions after US lobbying

Bloomberg

US officials flooded Europe last week, and by the time they had departed, their efforts to persuade their allies to cut back in using Huawei Technologies Co equipment appeared to finally be gaining traction.
Europe has been caught between two major world powers, China and the US, over the question of whether to include Huawei in the roll-out of its future 5G mobile networks. Many European countries don’t want to anger Beijing, a significant trading partner, while the US, an important security ally, has repeatedly said it may reassess intelligence sharing with countries that utilise Huawei in their 5G networks.
But the European Union (EU) agreed its member states should adopt a “comprehensive and risk-based” approach to the security of 5G, which includes using only trustworthy parties for components critical to national security, and should consider the laws of a supplier’s home country before buying their products.
A day later, following a NATO summit US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed “the need to exclude untrusted providers,” a White House spokesman said in a statement. The discussion came as the country’s largest phone carrier, Deutsche Telekom AG, announced it had stopped orders for 5G equipment due to Huawei’s uncertain status. Merkel has previously insisted that individual vendors such as Huawei should not be banned from the outset.
While American diplomats see the new EU security conclusions as a sign of progress, it’s not yet certain it will lead to a change in Huawei’s status in Europe. Under current EU law, only member states can ban vendors from their markets. The countries are expected to agree to recommendations by the end of the year. These could include flagging specific vendors as untrustworthy, or suggesting updates to EU or national legislation.
The ambiguities of European regulation haven’t stopped US officials from declaring some form of victory.
“We were very pleased to see the conclusions on 5G that the EU council released,” Rob Strayer, the US state department’s deputy assistant secretary for cyber, said on a conference call with reporters.
Keith Krach, the state department’s under secretary for economic growth, energy, and the environment also told reporters in Paris: “I would like to salute the EU leadership on the position they’ve taken on securing 5G.”
For their part, EU officials said member states agreed to the 5G conclusions to safeguard the region’s own interests, not to appease any outside powers. They added that the US and China weren’t mentioned in the discussions leading up to the agreement, nor were there any real controversial issues among the member states. Part of the US optimism comes as European companies begin to turn their back on Huawei.