Make Europe the Chips global capital

“Robust investment in the European chips industry is a primordial need for the competitiveness of the continent. If this need is not well attended, it has the potential to threaten the jobs of thousands of Europeans as well as the digital and ecological transitions”, declared Christian Ehler MEP, EPP Group Spokesman on Industry, Research And Energy. “However, it is crucial to make sure that the market interventions proposed truly address strategic needs and do not inappropriately distort the market.”

Later today, the European Commission will publish the so-called European Chips Act. It is a strategic proposal to secure Europe’s access to chip technology and help the European semiconductor industry become strategically autonomous.

“Chips are central to all our lives and to our economy. Europe’s scientific excellence in this field is moving the world towards better, more efficient and more sustainable chips. However, Europe does not fully enjoy the jobs and growth that could come from these developments. Moreover, multiple European sectors are vulnerable due to their reliance on chips from outside the EU. The European Chips Act should build on Europe’s scientific excellence to secure our chips for the future, including the associated economic growth”, insisted Ehler.

In the past months, European industries, including the automotive industry, have struggled to cope with shortages of chips and other related material in their supply chains. In Europe, some production lines even came to a standstill. However, the challenges go beyond European shores because the supply chains of chip production are global in nature.

“We strongly support this initiative of the Commission strategic industrial policy-making but the details will be crucial and will need careful consideration. This Act can be a shining example of European industrial policy: based on scientific excellence, connecting research and innovation through targeted public-private collaboration, building on the power of the Single Market, while using targeted measures to address specific shortcomings. Getting this all right requires thorough analysis and we therefore regret that there is no Impact Assessment for this Act”, concluded Ehler.