Our Magazine
Brussels Morning Online Newspaper
Thursday, April 15, 2021
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Online Newspaper
  • Home
    • About Us
  • EU institutions
    • Commission
    • Parliament
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • The American Angle
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Southeast Europe
Brussels Morning Online Newspaper
No Result
View All Result
Home Europe

Bulgaria joins list of EU member states that restrict Huawei

Nikola Kiš by Nikola Kiš
2 November 2020
in Europe, Features
Bulgaria joins list of EU member states that restrict Huawei
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Brussels (Brussels Morning) Bulgaria has joined a number of EU member states in signing the US Clean Network Initiative that seeks to exclude Chinese network equipment vendors such as Huawei and ZTE from national 5G networks, DW reported yesterday, Sunday.

The US is concerned that Huawei presents a threat to its national security and that of its allies, and has warned that Huawei has been using its technology to spy on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The CCP rejects the accusation, which it claims is motivated by US’ commercial interests.

Last week, Bulgaria joined its Balkan neighbours Kosovo, North Macedonia, Slovenia and Slovakia in signing the 5G security agreement with the US. Other signatories include Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Italy and the UK have banned Huawei from their respective 5G networks, with France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands expected to follow suit.

While 5G has not yet been launched commercially in Bulgaria, A1 Bulgaria, Telenor and Vivacom are preparing to launch the service in the next year or so. Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov did not say whether the agreement with the US would limit the choice of network equipment vendors for telecom operators. Nokia, Alcatel and Huawei have indicated their interest in building the country’s 5G infrastructure.

Bulgaria is the poorest EU member state, with per capita GDP of some Euros 8,560, approximately 20% lower compared to Greece. According to Transparency International (TI), it has the highest level of corruption susceptibility in the EU. The EU’s concerns include the lack of accountability of the country’s prosecutor general, judicial independence, the impartiality of the anti-corruption body and the independence of the media.

Institute of Central Europe analyst Jan Muś pointed out that Bulgaria’s decision is an outcome of US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s recent European tour, noting that Washington offered each country economic and political deals. He stressed that all countries in the region want an alliance with the US.

Bulgarian opposition MP Georgi Kadiev pointed out that neither 5G nor Huawei are a factor in Bulgaria’s ongoing political turmoil, in noting that anti-government protests are a daily occurrence and that elections are about six months away. He speculated that the government signed the deal in order to avoid questions about corruption and other sensitive issues.

Penn State University Homeland Security Programme professor Nicholas Eftimiades warned that China has become increasingly belligerent in its foreign policy, causing European countries to revise their bilateral relations with China. Coupled with the US campaign about potential vulnerabilities in 5G networks, China’s autocratic behaviour is causing European countries to reject Huawei, he concluded.

SOURCE

Tweets by Huawei
Tweets by ZTEPress
Tweets by TelenorGroup
Tweets by BoykoBorissov
Tweets by anticorruption
Tweets by SecPompeo

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Tags: BulgariaHuawei telecommunications
Nikola Kiš

Nikola Kiš

Nikola is Brussels Morning political affairs reporter, covering Germany, France, and Italy. Based in Zagreb, he is a translator with 18 years of experience reporting on political and business affairs.

Latest post

Now the Digital Markets Act is here, could this be what tames big tech?

Now the Digital Markets Act is here, could this be what tames big tech?

4 hours ago
Pandemic‌ ‌to‌ ‌set‌ ‌French‌ ‌finances‌ ‌back‌ ‌€424bn‌ ‌over‌ ‌three‌ ‌years‌ ‌

Pandemic‌ ‌to‌ ‌set‌ ‌French‌ ‌finances‌ ‌back‌ ‌€424bn‌ ‌over‌ ‌three‌ ‌years‌ ‌

9 hours ago

Most Read

  • A very Georgian provokatsiya

    A very Georgian provokatsiya

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The EU’s newest member state Croatia can teach the bloc much about building strategic autonomy

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • EC to investigate €1bn worth of missing lumber in Croatian forests

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Salmond’s strategic masterstroke

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Vaccine export bans won’t help the fight against Covid-19, says Pfizer

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Subscribe
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn

About Us

Brussels Morning is a daily online newspaper based in Belgium. BM publishes unique and independent coverage on international and European affairs. With a Europe-wide perspective, BM covers policies and politics of the EU, significant Member State developments, and looks at the international agenda with a European perspective.

Category

  • Ambassador’s Corner
  • Commission
  • Council
  • Culture and Society
  • Diplomacy
  • Economy
  • EU Institutions
  • Europe
  • Europe With Transparency
  • Features
  • In Depth
  • Member States
  • Middle East Eye
  • Opinion
  • Our pick
  • Parliament
  • Place de la Bourse
  • Southeast Europe
  • Sustainable Perspective
  • The American Angle
  • The Macro-Economist
  • Uncategorised
  • US Elections
  • World

More info

  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Cookies Policy
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Jobs

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About Us
  • EU Institutions
    • Parliament
    • Commission
    • Council
  • Europe
  • World
  • Member States
  • Economy
  • Culture and Society
  • In Depth
    • Ambassador’s Corner
    • Europe With Transparency
    • Place de la Bourse
    • The Macro-Economist
    • Sustainable Perspective
    • The American Angle
    • Southeast Europe
  • Magazine

Brussels Morning Newspaper - All Rights Reserved © 2020

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT