EU Allows Members to Decide on Huawei’s 5G Role, Against US Recommendation

European Digital Economy Commissioner Margrethe Vestager and European Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton communicate on the EU's 5G plan in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 29, 2020. Yves Herman/Reuters

The European Union (EU) is allowing its members to decide what role China’s Huawei Technologies can play in their 5G telecommunications networks, amid a push by the United States for an outright ban.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, endorsed a “joint toolbox of mitigating measures agreed by EU member states to address security risks related to the rollout of 5G,” a Commission’s statement says.