Corruption investigations: EU Parliament bans Huawei lobbyists

In view of the ongoing corruption investigations against Huawei lobbyists on the one hand and MEPs and their staff on the other, the EU Parliament and the Commission in Brussels have taken additional protective measures. "As a precautionary measure, the Parliament has decided to block the access of representatives of Huawei to the Parliament with immediate effect," a spokeswoman for the Chamber of Deputies said on Friday. The ban is said to be temporary and will apply at least until the authorities have completed their investigation.

The cabinets of the EU Commissioners and all associated departments such as the Directorates-General have also been instructed to "immediately suspend contacts and meetings with Huawei until further notice", Politico magazine quoted a Commission spokesperson as saying. The ban therefore affects all lobbyists of the Chinese tech company who are registered for access to buildings of the Parliament and the Brussels government institution. It applies to all premises in Brussels, Strasbourg and Luxembourg as well as to all liaison offices that the executive body maintains in the member states.

The telecommunications supplier, which has been controversial in the EU for years, is at the center of a new bribery scandal. According to Belgian prosecutors and investigators, this involves "preliminary charges of active corruption, falsification of documents and money laundering". The acts are alleged to have been committed "within the framework of a criminal organization". Money is said to have flowed for political statements. In addition, Huawei representatives are alleged to have given "excessive gifts" to elected representatives, for example in the form of trips or invitations to soccer matches.

High lobbying pressure on the German government too

The Belgian police sealed two offices of parliamentary assistants on Thursday. According to the public prosecutor's office, search teams searched 21 addresses in Brussels, Flanders, Wallonia and Portugal and provisionally arrested several people. According to the latest update of its entry in the EU Transparency Register in October, Huawei has accredited nine representatives to lobby Community institutions.

In 2020, the Commission used a 5G toolbox to recommend that EU countries keep risky providers out of core areas of mobile networks, particularly regarding Huawei. In the summer, FragDenStaat and LobbyControl complained about inconsistencies surrounding the agreement between the German government and mobile network operators, according to which technology from Chinese suppliers is to be banned from critical areas of the networks. They complain: Massive lobbying pressure from Huawei, Deutsche Telekom & Co. had delayed the exclusion – for a long time despite security policy concerns. According to its statement, Huawei pursues a "zero-tolerance policy towards corruption or other misconduct". The company is committed to "complying with all applicable laws and regulations at all times" and is cooperating with the authorities.

(nie)