EU announces strict 5G rules but no Huawei ban

BRUSSELS – EU countries could ban telecom operators deemed a security risk from critical parts of 5G infrastructure under guidelines issued Wednesday, amid U.S. pressure to shut out Chinese giant Huawei. The EU plan, which closely mirrors rules set out Tuesday by Britain allowing a limited role for Huawei, stops short of barring the company from the next-generation communications network designed for near-instantaneous data transfers. It leaves member states with the responsibility to ensure the safe rollout of 5G and warns them to screen operators carefully, saying security of the network will be critically important for the entire EU. The "toolbox" outlined by the European Commission avoids naming Huawei and does not call for an outright ban on any supplier. But it urges countries to "assess the risk profile of suppliers (and) … apply relevant restrictions for suppliers considered to be high risk" accordingly, including shutting them out of "key assets defined as critical and sensitive. It also recommends EU states avoid "major dependency on a single supplier" and "dependency on suppliers considered to be high risk.