Romanian MP Popescu, a member of the Information Technology and Communications (IT&C) and National Security Committee, said the government has approved a U.S.-backed bill that would ban mainland China and Huawei from participating in the development of Romania’s 5G network.
As the Chinese Communist Party and the U.S. wage a “cold war” on technology, Europe is becoming a battleground. If Huawei is shut out, rivals Ericsson and Nokia could form a two-way monopoly on supply.
Pavel Popescu said, “The government has just approved the bill that is crucial for Romania, establishing a memorandum to be signed in 2019 in Washington, D.C., which means that China and Huawei have been excluded from the Romanian government’s future 5G partnership.”
In this memorandum, the Romanian and U.S. governments said in August 2019: “A careful and comprehensive assessment of 5G suppliers is necessary to take into account risk-based security considerations.”
The bill passed today reflects the aforementioned memorandum and the position of Romania’s Supreme Council of Defense. Popescu said, “National security is a major objective, and the protection of personal data of future generations of Romanians is crucial.”
The bill contains criteria for evaluating a supplier as to whether the company is vulnerable to foreign government control, whether the ownership structure is transparent, and whether it is regulated by a legal system that forces transparency in corporate behavior.
Popescu said the bill, which could receive formal passage in Parliament in the coming weeks, is a prerequisite for Romania to launch a 5G tender later this year.
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