Better late than never. The European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services, Thierry Bretonrealized that the economic future ofEuropean Union will be played in the field of chip, and for this reason he set to work on an ambitious plan. The so-called ‘European Chips Act‘points to quadruple semiconductor production in Europe, with many parallel objectives: fighting unemployment, competitiveness, reducing dependence on Asia as regards the technology sector. The plan should be based on the expense of fifty billion euros of public funds, with a target minimum from 3 gigafactory to be built shortly for chip production. It is hoped, in reality, that these factories could be more.
“This is an extremely important issue for Europe, for our industry. Because it defines our strategic position in global supply chains. Microchips are the oil of the new industrial revolution. Without it, it would not be possible to make the digital transition, nor the ecological one, nor could we aspire to technological leadershipBreton said as quoted by the newspaper La Stampa.
Breton also made another important consideration: Europe’s desire to raise its head (and the stakes) to no longer suffer the decisions of others on global markets. “For the first time, we are evolving our state aid rules and to some extent we are also adapting our trade policy. Something unprecedented in the history of the Commission. Until now we have always been regarded as an open continent. We will continue to be, but it is time to set conditions. We did it for example for vaccines. At one point, pharmaceutical companies in Europe found themselves without ingredients because other countries had imposed a block on exports of components. That is how we started to take countermeasures, based on the principle of reciprocity. Our goal will always be to avoid the use of extreme means, preferring dialogue. But the dialogue will have to be carried out from a position of strength“, has explained.
But what does the data say today? In the 1990s, semiconductor production in Europe was 20% of the global total, today it is 10%. Currently, EU countries import 80% of microchips from Asia, and of these around 60% from Taiwan. The goal by 2030 is to return to that 20%. It seems little, but it is not: already with this percentage, the consequences of future pandemics, environmental disasters and political decisions capable of blocking Asian production would be less.
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