Europe looks to be following suit with the U.S. as it calls for member states to exclude equipment from Huawei and ZTE from local telecom ​infrastructure.

Reuters cited comments from a European Commission (EC) spokesperson regarding the recommendations, as the bloc moves to bring its new ​cybersecurity rules to the fore. The Cybersecurity Act (CSA) is being revised, which would remove unspecified "high-risk vendors" from Europe.

Reports citing the commission spokesperson explicitly name the two Chinese vendors, which, if approved, would give the bloc powers to bar the use of network gear from such suppliers.

Huawei has already come out in vocal opposition to any attempts to remove its equipment from the continent, contending back in January that a proposal to limit or exclude non-EU suppliers based on country of origin “violates the EU’s basic legal principles of fairness, non-discrimination, and proportionality, as well as its WTO (World Trade Organization) obligations.”

China's Commerce Ministry echoed the vendor's earlier comments in statements published last week, accusing the European bloc of “typical double standards.” The ministry also threatened countermeasures if the EU's proposed order were to be approved.

Eurocentric rivals like Nokia would likely welcome the proposed restrictions on Huawei and ZTE from continental networks. Nokia CEO Justin Hotard previously called on Europe to remove what he described as “high-risk vendors,” questioning why Chinese firms were free to operate in parts of Europe when “they do not allow us to play in their markets.”

Efforts against the pair have ramped of late, with Germany and Finland previously looking at efforts to brick out Huawei from their national infrastructures.

Continental efforts against the Chinese vendors echo those underway in the U.S. as the Trump administration looks to sharpen its stance on what it deems high-risk vendors.

Last week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted in favor of closing a potential loophole that could have allowed entities on the agency’s Covered List – which includes Huawei and ZTE – to skirt rules by gaining automatic “blanket” authorizations via Section 214 of the Communications Act.

The FCC is also looking at potentially barring domestic carriers from interconnecting with Covered List entities without FCC approval.

“Many of these entities, and others identified on the FCC’s Covered List, continue to operate or potentially operate in the U.S. by providing services that do not fall under the legal definition of international telecommunications authority,” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr claimed.