<![CDATA[EU cybersecurity report says members can ban firms from 5G networks - but declines to name China or Huawei]>

The European Union's latest 5G risk assessment report has said member countries can exclude certain companies for national security reasons " but it shied away from naming China or Huawei directly.

Without referring to any country or company, the European Commission identified "state-backed" actors from "non-EU states" as the biggest threat for attacks on fifth-generation mobile technology infrastructure in Wednesday's report.

It also warned against over-reliance on a single supplier " as well as highlighting the possibility of back doors that are hard to detect " in an echo of US warnings about Huawei.

"I understand the temptation of jumping to a conclusion. We are deliberately not jumping to a conclusion," Julian King, EU commissioner for security, said in a press conference in Brussels in response to queries why he did not name China or Huawei. "National decisions are for member states to take."

The report said EU member states have the right to exclude companies from their markets for national security reasons "if they do not comply with the country's standards and legal framework".

In response, Huawei said it welcomed the EU risk assessment.

"We are pleased to note that the EU delivered on its commitment to take an evidence-based approach, thoroughly analysing risks rather than targeting specific countries or actors," it said.

The US has already blacklisted Huawei, while certain EU countries are said to be considering blocking the Chinese tech giant from "core" parts of the sensitive infrastructure.

The EU's report noted: "Among the various potential actors, non-EU states or state-backed [groups] are considered as the most serious ones and the most likely to target 5G networks."

According to the report's findings, the introduction of 5G technology will lead to "an increased exposure to risks related to the reliance of mobile network operators on suppliers".

The Chinese tech giant has already been blacklisted by the US government and some European countries may follow its example. Photo: Reuters alt=The Chinese tech giant has already been blacklisted by the US government and some European countries may follow its example. Photo: Reuters

The long-awaited report, summarising the views of the 28 member states, reinstated the right of member states to block any company for national security reasons.

It also warned: "With 5G networks increasingly based on software, risks related to major security flaws ... make it easier for threat actors to maliciously insert back doors into products and make them harder to detect."

The US and several EU countries have voiced concern over the possibility of Huawei inserting back doors for China's security apparatus to gain access to such sensitive data.

Huawei has long denied that any back doors have been installed in its infrastructure, and dismissed suggestions that it would hand over data to the Chinese government and has been lobbying European policymakers against blocking its products.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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