EU to assess tech security risks and consider controls. The European Union will determine if semiconductor, artificial intelligence, quantum, and biotechnology technologies constitute a risk to the region’s economic security, which might result in restrictions on exports or investments to nations like China.
As part of the European Economic Security Strategy launched in June, the European Commission said on Tuesday that it had created a list of four technologies and another six to investigate later.
At the time, the EU executive warned that sharing or exporting such technology may be dangerous if they were exploited by “countries of concern” for human rights violations or military purposes.
The Commission emphasizes that before making any decisions about measures, it must first conduct a risk assessment with the assistance of the 27 countries of the EU and consulting firms. In certain circumstances, the solution can be to increase investment or look for partnerships with partners to lessen dependency. According to the EU executive, no third nations will be the subject of its review, which is due to be finished by the end of the year. Although China is not specifically mentioned in the economic security document, it discusses de-risking and working with nations that share its goals to reduce its dependency on China.
According to an EU source, “The risk assessment will be country-neutral, but we will consider geopolitical factors to determine how severe those risks are.” The four technologies were picked because they are thought to provide the most serious threats right now.
Microelectronics and chip-making tools, AI data analytics and object recognition, as well as quantum cryptography, communications, and sensing, are some areas of concentration in advanced semiconductor technology. The evaluation of biotechnology will consider new genomic technologies and genetic changes.
Early in 2024, the Commission could suggest evaluating the risks associated with additional technologies. The EU’s initiative is comparable to those of the United States, Japan, Britain, and Australia. A security evaluation of the EU’s 5G networks was previously conducted, and as a result, certain EU nations have restricted the use of Huawei and ZTE equipment.
