STOCKHOLM, May 13 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf

Scholz called on Monday for an expansion of the 5G mobile

network in Europe at the Nordic summit on security and

competitiveness in Stockholm.

"We have to make it happen, that this progressive technology

is the typical one very soon in Europe and that we are not

falling behind other continents," Scholz said.

He said that Europe should take advantage of having the "the

most progressive technology companies in telecommunications in

Europe," in a reference to Swedish company Ericsson

and its Finnish competitor Nokia, "which are so

successful not just in Europe but also globally."

Scholz visited Ericsson on Monday with the leaders of

Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The chancellor

said he had also held talks in Berlin with Nokia.

Scholz said these companies offer "very safe technology

looking at security questions", amid debates on whether the

government should forbid telecoms operators from using certain

components from Chinese companies Huawei and ZTE in their 5G

networks.