EU’s hodgepodge tech policy exposes members to Chinese vendor risks, says think tank

RUSI warns that the EU’s inconsistent approach to foreign technology procurement is leaving member states exposed to security, operational, and supply-chain risks from Chinese vendors such as Huawei and ZTE. For CIOs and technology leaders, the strategic implication is that vendor risk can no longer be treated as a country-by-country compliance issue: organizations operating across the EU may soon face tighter, more harmonized scrutiny, potential forced replacement timelines, and higher costs as governments move to reduce dependency on high-risk suppliers. IT leaders should prepare for a shift toward security-led sourcing decisions, with greater pressure to diversify vendors and reassess telecom and critical infrastructure dependencies.