Spanish Huawei deal draws concern from EU's tech authority
In the realm of European tech policy, a contentious issue has arisen concerning Spain's €12.3 million contract with Huawei to store judicial wiretaps. The European Commission's tech chief, Henna Virkkunen, has expressed concerns about this decision, arguing that it could potentially create a dependency on a high-risk supplier in a critical and sensitive sector.
Virkkunen's concerns are shared by many, as in recent years, Brussels and a large group of EU capitals have called for a careful approach to the use of Chinese technology, particularly Huawei. This stance is based on the perception of Huawei as a high-risk vendor under criteria set out in a 2020 5G "toolbox" security exercise.
However, the Spanish interior ministry maintains that the contract does not pose any security risk and complies with the necessary security levels. This assertion is echoed by the Huawei spokesperson, who strongly opposes the remarks made by Virkkunen.
The contract, awarded by Spain's Ministry of the Interior, has drawn sharp criticism from some officials and analysts. This criticism is partly due to the fact that only 10 countries have fully implemented the toolbox; others have done so partially or not at all, according to the European Commission.
The Spanish government's stance on Huawei is not uniform, as a separate contract with Telefonica, a Spanish telecommunications company, was recently canceled over the use of Huawei equipment, according to Reuters. However, Telefónica has renewed a multimillion-euro contract with Huawei for the 5G core network until 2030, which includes technology for authorized surveillance data storage.
The spokesperson for Huawei argues that singling out the company as a high-risk supplier lacks a verified, transparent, and objective technical assessment. This argument is bolstered by the fact that the European Commission has committed to avoiding exposure of its own corporate communications networks to mobile networks using Huawei and ZTE.
The Spanish interior minister, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has stated that security services are in control of the data on the servers, and it would not be possible to extract the data from the servers. However, this statement is not directly addressed in the context of the current controversy.
The controversy surrounding Spain's contract with Huawei underscores the complexities and nuances involved in the European Union's approach to Chinese technology, particularly in sensitive sectors like telecommunications and data storage. As the debate continues, it is clear that finding a balance between security concerns, economic interests, and technological advancement will be a key challenge.
