December 9, 2019

On 2, 3 and 4 December 2019 the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council met. Various subjects were discussed, including the significance of 5G to the European economy and the need to mitigate security risks linked to 5G.

The Council concluded that 5G networks would form a part of the infrastructure crucial for maintaining vital societal and economic functions. The conclusions also support the findings in the European 5G Risk Assessment published in October 2019 by the Member States coordination group on network and information security.

The Council says that the approach to 5G network security must be comprehensive and risk-based. 5G security is seen as a continuous process, which starts with the selection of the providers and lasts through to the production of network elements and the lifetime of the networks.

The Council also said that non-technical factors should be considered when drawing up a supplier’s risk profile and components considered critical for national security should be sourced from trustworthy parties only. To read the Council’s press release in full, click here.