The European Parliament has voted in favour of a resolution demanding an urgent response from the EU following allegations that Chinese equipment manufacturer Huawei is using the deployment of 5G in Europe to conduct espionage operations. MEPs expressed their concern that the Chinese group has incorporated “back doors allowing Chinese authorities and manufacturers unauthorized access to data and personal telecommunications in the EU”.
The European Parliament also adopted on Tuesday a regulation to reinforce cybersecurity. This text creates the first European cybersecurity certification scheme. The idea is to ensure that products, processes and services sold in European countries comply with cybersecurity standards. MEPs also decided to increase the resources of the European Cybersecurity Agency (ENISA).
The EU executive on Tuesday proposed a ten-point plan to achieve “balanced relations” between the EU and China. The measures aim to strengthen cooperation in several areas, such as security and climate, while pushing China to more reciprocity in the economic field and by increasing the instruments of protection of the European market. The 28 Member States will vote on this plan at the summit on 21 March.
