A coalition of countries, led by the US, has sprung up against Chinese tech company Huawei owing to security fears for its 5G network, with its most recent signatory being Bulgaria.
Kārlis Dambrāns
Bulgarian prime minister Boyko Borissov signed a framework agreement last week putting their support behind the US-backed coalition.
Fellow Balkan state Slovenia was inducted into the group back in August, and more recently, Huawei lost out on a contract to supply the UK with an ultra-fast 5G network to Finnish telecoms giants Nokia, around the time they were selected to handle the networks within their home nation.
Bulgaria is taking steps to satisfy the US and remove Huawei from its 5G network, with the aim of the American government aiding in future nuclear projects.
A spokesman for the US embassy in Sofia said in a statement: “Bulgaria has joined the Clean Network initiative. This is another big step forward in our relationship. With this act, Bulgaria joins the growing coalition of countries and companies committed to protecting their 5G networks from unreliable providers."
Three Bulgarian mobile companies are testing 5G network efficiency using existing Huawei technology. By law, if the framework is signed through, and these companies have to stop using them, they must be given appropriate compensation.
At the same time, the Bulgarian government are also subject to grants through the EU's Covid-19 recovery fund designed to help Western Balkan nations integrate into the EU, despite the nation having been a member since 2007.
These funds may help them recover from any losses stemmed from ousting Huawei from their nation.
It also makes them subject to various aspects of the European Green Deal regarding post-pandemic recovery.
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