STRASBOURG (AFP) – The European Parliament and European Union (EU) member states reached an agreement on Tuesday on a plan to boost the supply of semiconductors in Europe, as the bloc races to reduce its dependence on Asian suppliers.
The EU has prioritised local chip production after the coronavirus pandemic triggered supply chain shocks that led to significant shortages. Asian industry currently dominate the manufacture and export of semiconductors.
EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen said the deal “will allow for a competitive chips industry and build the foundation for a global market share.
“It will power a clean tech industry made in Europe and strengthen our digital resilience and sovereignty.”
Under the provisional political agreement, the EU aims to double its current global market share to 20 per cent in 2030 and mobilise more than EUR43 billion (USD47.2 billion) in public and private investments to feed Europe’s growing appetite for chips. Europe will need to quadruple its production to meet this target.
Funding will come from existing EU budget money and the deal will also loosen state aid rules to spend money on developing centres to produce the key component.
The EU will also mobilise EUR3.3 billion for research and development, and the deal includes a system to monitor supply shortages to act in times of crisis.
“This will allow us to rebalance and secure our supply chains, reducing our collective dependence on Asia,” EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a statement after the Parliament and the European Council reached an agreement.
