The EU is considering a mandatory ban on member states using companies deemed to present a security risk in their 5G networks, including Chinese telecoms group Huawei, according to officials with knowledge of the discussions.

The move comes as concern rises in Brussels that some national governments are dragging their feet on the issue, the officials told the Financial Times.

Only a third of EU countries had banned Huawei from critical parts of the bloc’s 5G communications despite recommendations set out by Brussels to exclude high-risk vendors from technology investments, Thierry Breton, EU internal market commissioner, told the bloc’s telecoms ministers at a meeting last Friday. “This is too few. And it exposes the union’s collective security,” he said.