The European Parliament adopted (486 votes in favour, 109 against and 102 abstentions) on Wednesday 25 November an own-initiative report, championed by Carlo Calenda (S&D, Italy), on March’s industrial strategy with a view to its review early next year (see EUROPE 12561/8), in which MEPs strongly emphasise the need to guarantee the EU’s strategic autonomy in the light of the health crisis.
From the very first paragraphs of the report, the tone is set by parliamentarians. They thus stress that the strategy must aim for “leadership” and “strategic autonomy”, not hesitating to cite “massive investments” to ensure the “global” competitiveness of European industry. Sauver
MEPs go even further and speak of “smart reshoring” to redeploy industries in Europe in the face of international competition that is also seen as “unfair” and “distorted” on a global scale. They call on the European Commission to also act against “hostile” takeovers of companies by “heavily subsidised” companies from non-Member States.
Therefore, in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic crisis which is hitting European industry hard, MEPs targeted a range of ecosystems that could benefit from financial support, particularly in the health sector, citing hand sanitisers, fans and protective equipment, or surgical masks. Space policy is cited in particular to accompany industrial transformation.
However, the report shows tensions, as one source notes, as it calls on the Commission to act to remedy the disturbances affecting the single market. These tensions once again reflect the schematic opposition between two blocs: the divide between the “interventionist” and the “laissez-faire” blocs – explains one source – which can be found in the EU Council (with the formula of strategic autonomy associated with respect for the principle of an open economy – see EUROPE 12600/20) or in the Commission between the Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, and Vice-President Margrethe Vestager.
In the European Parliament, the Renew Europe group particularly embodies these tensions by dividing itself into a camp in favour of a proactive industrial policy (made up of French, Spanish and Italian MEPs) and another made up of opponents and abstainers (including MEPs from Eastern Europe, Scandinavian countries and Germany) in favour of free and undistorted competition.
To view the report: https://bit.ly/3mfHHWI
To see the results of roll-call votes: https://bit.ly/2Jbz4hp (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)