The European Commission wants to sweep Huawei off the map. Spain has told it not so fast

The European Commission is preparing a cybersecurity rule change that would make telecom operators remove high-risk vendors such as Huawei and ZTE within 36 months.

Spain and Germany are pushing back, saying their networks still rely heavily on this equipment and a forced phaseout would raise costs and complicate 5G and AI rollouts.

Telefónica, Vodafone and MásOrange still use Huawei gear to varying degrees, while Huawei’s footprint in Germany remains especially large.

Because the measure needs a majority in the EU Council, Spain and Germany could block it, dilute it, or win exemptions.