Why Germany keeps dragging its feet on the Huawei ban
Even though Brussels is making efforts to keep 'high-risk vendors' such as Huawei and ZTE out of their 5G networks, Berlin is still uncertain about their connection with these Chinese companies.
Check out the German version of this blog post by clicking on this link.
Thierry Breton, the EU Internal Market Commissioner, expressed his opinion on Thursday (15 June) that Europe is taking too long to exclude 'high risk' 5G providers like Huawei and ZTE.
According to Breton, the EU's data security is endangered by Chinese telecom operators since they are seen as vendors with a high risk liability. This is due to the stringent laws imposed by the Chinese government.
Back in 2020, the EU allowed national governments to bar companies such as Huawei and ZTE from participating in the creation of vulnerable networks through the implementation of the 5G Toolkit. Nonetheless, these measures have not been entirely successful due to being at the discretion of the individual governments.
Up until now, just ten European Union nations have utilized these rights, with an additional 14 currently in the works to implement certain limits.
At the same time, Germany, where Huawei's European headquarters are based in Dusseldorf, is notably inactive in the matter.
Berlin is presently in the process of creating 5G infrastructures, which will feature standardized security measures. However, uncertainties persist regarding the political aspect of the Huawei issue.
On Thursday, EU Commissioner Thierry Breton encouraged member states to utilize the abilities provided by the 5G Toolbox in order to limit or eliminate vendors that pose a high-risk, and also declared Commission initiatives to release its internal networks from the control of Huawei and ZTE.
The next article...
Germany and China have a close commercial relationship, with an estimated €300 billion in trade each year. China ranks high as one of Germany's top trading partners.
As per the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs (BMI), 5G network providers are undergoing a second round of auditing. The first audit focused on testing the security elements of their standard design.
But, as there wasn't enough information to make a decision, another examination was started. The providers were then instructed to provide any missing information. According to a representative from BMI, this next assessment is expected to be finished by the summer of 2023.
The BMDV, which is currently headed by the FDP, a liberal party, is unsure about whether Chinese components should be entirely banned from 5G networks.
The FDP, in its foremost decision, declared that businesses that are under the sway of oppressive regimes ought to be omitted from the 5G network for the purpose of strengthening cybersecurity.
Soon after, the BMI changed their stance slightly. The Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Transport, Volker Wissing, stated in an interview with Handelsblatt in April that they now favored an approach that was impartial to technology and manufacturers.
John Strand, who heads up Strand Consultant, has noted some positive developments recently. He has observed a shift in priorities among German politicians, from the emphasis on maintaining strong ties with China and its government, towards a greater focus on upholding human rights. This transformation is gradual but encouraging.
The concerns regarding security related to Chinese technologies gained attention after the Trump administration's efforts to weaken Beijing's swiftly expanding technology industry.
At the same time, China's image is being impacted negatively due to their progressively oppressive actions within their own country and their aggressive actions towards other countries.
China has undergone a transformation. As a result, it's imperative that we reconsider our connections with China. Our threshold should be when Chinese technology hinders the security of our networks by being reliant on companies such as Huawei,” stated Tobias Bacherle, a member of the Green party, in an interview with EURACTIV.
During the previous administration, Germany ratified the IT Security Act 2.0 in 2021 to protect its security against spying by foreign countries. This legislation gives the federal government the power to disapprove the use of untrustworthy providers during the implementation of 5G technology.
Until now, the veto has not been put into practice. Center-right parliament member Reinhard Brandl expressed disappointment that the Traffic light coalition has chosen not to utilize this tool but instead maintains the status quo.
The CEO of Bitkom, Bernhard Rohleder, questions whether the legal tool will have any significant impact.
Rohleder, in his statement to EURACTIV, mentioned that the test method for crucial infrastructural components provided under the IT Security Act 2.0 does not alter the resulting dependencies.
Following the approval of the IT-Security Law by the German Bundesrat, Huawei's efforts to expand in Europe have been met with difficulties. Different European nations have developed their own approaches towards the Chinese technology giant, resulting in a complex and varied situation. EURACTIV examined the current stances of various European capitals regarding matters pertaining to the Chinese 5G provider.
German policymakers have been discussing the possibility of excluding Chinese components since 2018. The discourse doesn't solely focus on national security issues but also involves decreasing reliance on China's economy.
Funke-Kaiser, the representative for digital policies from the FDP, expressed to EURACTIV that critical infrastructures should only use components from democratic partner nations that are trustworthy.
According to Funke-Kaiser, it is necessary to inspect supply chain dependencies rather than solely focusing on technologies that allow others to listen in or shut down.
Jens Zimmermann, who speaks for the digital aspect of Germany's center-left political party SPD, has expressed support for not letting China partake in expanding 5G infrastructure to decrease our reliance on them in this area.
According to him, it is undoubtedly important to significantly decrease the problematic dependencies that currently exist. Additionally, network providers that cannot be relied upon completely should not be included in the growth of crucial infrastructure.
Nonetheless, Germany has hesitated to reject Chinese operators partly due to economic reasons. Essentially, Ericsson and Nokia, European alternatives to Huawei and ZTE, tend to be pricier.
According to a representative from Huawei who spoke to EURACTIV, any decisions related to security should rely on factual evidence and technical information, rather than being influenced by ideology or the location of the provider.
Huawei, a major telecom company from China, has taken legal action against the regulatory body overseeing telecom in Sweden. This comes after the company received a ban preventing them from participating in 5G auctions in Sweden. Additionally, telecom operators have been instructed to remove the technology provided by Huawei before the expiration of the year 2024.
The matter proceeded...
The government department in charge of overseeing internal affairs plans to reassess a statement made by companies providing mobile network services about crucial parts by the start of Q3 2023.
According to Valentin Weber, a research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations, it is important to establish clear cut-off dates for the removal of Huawei devices from both 5G networks and any areas that are critical to national security.
[Revised by Luca Bertuzzi] The blog section has been amended by Luca Bertuzzi.
