European Union officials will not ban Huawei Technologies in Europe, a high-ranking official in Brussels said on Tuesday as reported by AFP.
The European Commission is set to unveil its full recommendations on Wednesday, following comments from commissioner Thierry Breton that Brussels would choose tighter restrictions over a blanket ban.
He said: "It is not a question of discrimination it is a question of laying down rules. They will be strict, they will be demanding and of course we will welcome in Europe all operators who are willing to apply them.
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) January 28, 2020
The announcement was made the same day as UK prime minister Boris Johnson's National Security Council meeting, where he will chair talks on whether to grant a role to the Chinese tech giant in the UK's 5G networks. The body is expected to make a final decision by the end of the week, but possibly later today.
PM Johnson said this week that the UK could strike a balance between using Huawei's new technologies and protecting the country's security concerns.
He said: "There's no reason why we shouldn't have technological progress here in the UK, allow consumers, businesses in the UK to have access to fantastic technology, fantastic communications, but also protect our security interests and protect our key partnerships with other security powers around the world.
— Tony Jin Yong (@Tony_Jin_Yong) January 27, 2020
The news comes as Washington continues to pressure EU member states not to allow Huawei to build their 5G networks, citing 'national security concerns'. US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, as well as numerous US officials, cautioned London on allowing the Chinese tech firm to access British IT infrastructure on Monday, stating only "sovereign" nations protect their data. Both Huawei and Beijing have repeatedly and strongly rebuffed the Trump administration's accusations as false.
