EU 5G policy official named to lead cybersecurity agency amid calls for tougher China stance

A major figure in the drafting of the European Union’s 5G technology policy was nominated on Tuesday to lead the EU’s cybersecurity agency, as US President Donald Trump and other officials call for a tougher European approach to Chinese activities in the region.

Juhan Lepassaar, who is vying to steer the Greece-based agency as its new executive director, was until last month the head of cabinet for the EU’s commissioner for digital affairs, Andrus Ansip.

For months, Ansip’s office has been hammering out the EU’s defining policies for regulating next-generation 5G mobile technology. The results are expected to be made final later this year.

The question is whether Lepassaar would take a different approach from outgoing executive director Udo Helmbrecht, under whose 10-year helm the 60-strong cybersecurity agency has steered clear of controversial political issues such as 5G security, election-hacking and cyberwarfare.

His nomination also comes amid Huawei Technologies’ intense interest in the European market and the EU’s and national governments’ fear that partnering with the Chinese telecoms giant would pose a threat to cybersecurity.