EPP Group improves EU Chips Act

Make Europe an attractive hub for chip investment, a centre of excellence and innovation and address potential future supply challenges while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy, plus greater support for SMEs. This is what the EPP Group achieved in the European Parliament’s negotiating mandate on the EU Chips Act, which was adopted by the European Parliament’s Industry, Research and Energy Committee today. The Chips Act and the Chips Joint Undertaking intend to equip the EU for semiconductor success for the coming decade. After global supply chain disruptions in recent years, both laws are part of the wider Chips for Europe initiative which aims to ensure stability and security of supply for the EU while securing a bigger share of the global semiconductor market through increased research and innovation.

“Chips are indispensable for the digital and green transitions, and a strong chips sector unlocks European growth and productivity. The EPP Group has fought to ensure the Parliament’s position on the Chips Act delivers more than public subsidies. It now provides a framework that enables the EU and governments to work together with the people who know this sector best: industry, experts, and the R&D community. We’ve made a number of changes to the original Commission proposal which make this law more practical and focused on supporting the sector to grow. We also increased flexibility and inclusivity to ensure more facilities and Member States, both big and small, can benefit from the Chips Act", said Eva Maydell MEP, the EPP Group's lead negotiator for the Chips Act and Parliament’s negotiator for the Chips Joint Undertaking.

“Microchips are also integral to our geopolitical agenda of greater resilience. We need an ambitious approach, but our funds must also match our ambitions. The Parliament is calling for fresh funding that reflects the strategic importance of Europe’s Chips sector. The rest of the world is not standing still: Europe’s partners and competitors are also investing heavily in their semiconductor facilities, skills and innovation. We may not have the enormous financial firepower of the United States, and these are economically challenging times, but the budget offered by the Commission and Council needs to reflect the seriousness of the global challenge we face. I’ll continue to defend these important principles as the process moves forward into trilogue. We can’t afford to get this wrong. Strengthening the EU Chips Sector is a race against a ticking clock, and we don’t have a second to waste”, Maydell concluded.