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>> Authorities suspect that Huawei lobbyists have paid bribes to MEPs in return for backing their cause in the European Union.

> Isn’t that the cost of doing business in the EU?

No, it's not. If you represent a business there is an official way to express your stance and lobby for your cause but bribing MEPs is a criminal offence (both for the perpetrator and those who receive personal benefits).

Its how all telco hardware companies operate - google "Ericsson/Nortel/Seimens bribe".

The only reason the EU has to depend on Huawei is because EU telco hardware which once ran most of China telco can't compete anymore. So they have to play this game until local players get their act together.

>The only reason the EU has to depend on Huawei is because EU telco hardware which once ran most of China telco can't compete anymore.

Cant compete on what?

Features?

Price?

Do tell, you seem to have information.

... I mean, if this were the case, Huawei would have a monopoly, and no reason to bribe anybody. Like, put a _bit_ of thought into this stuff; your claim cannot possibly be correct.

For what it's worth, the UK, having banned Huawei stuff, is currently ripping out their Huawei 5G gear and replacing it with largely equipment from Ericsson.

Huawei did have a monopoly.

They were bribing officials to try to get them to not ban them in the great Huawei wars of the late 2010's / early 2020's - which led to the UK banning Huawei at the behest of the US for political reasons.

Huawei clearly doesn't and didn't have a monopoly; in 2022 before the bans really got going it had about a 30% market share, vs Ericsson 25% and Nokia 20%.

Have them sue you for something, reach a settlement and pay them "damages".

Please do tell how lobbying without bribery is supposed to operate.

I do not know if it's a joke that i'm too european to understand or you're serious, but at least in europe there are some rules regarding lobby and transparency[1]. Bribes are of course something that doesn't follow the rules and thus are not lobbying.

[1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/at-your-service/en/transparen...

I am also European and your way of thinking is completely alien to me.

Same way as advertising, just much more personal. There are ways to change people's opinions without paying them.

Plenty of companies have Public Affairs departments that work essentially as lobbyist, but no bribery neither to the MEP nor the Political Party is involved.

Many lobbyists work "simply" by producing reports and collecting data that works in favor or their proposals, publishing them to opinion pieces in newspapers etc.

There is no explicit bribery, but there are plenty of examples where a government bureaucrat leaves to join a company they were "regulating" on a fat pay cheque.

The EU is not unique in this though.

Without judgment: I've started noticing how a different culture cannot imagine some phenomenon (e.g. some problem) not occuring in another culture. It's leading me to question what things I consider as universal constant that aren't.

Bribery becomes lobbying when bribery is legalized. Also especially enforcement depends on who does the favors for the reps and officials.

Being an MEP is an absolute gravy train. They should not need bribes to make ends meet.

I think he cancelled that law because other nations weren't applying similar laws.

Anti-corruption is OK, but you lose out if you're the only one complying.

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