The European Commission’s announcements on Tuesday 8 February to support the European semiconductor sector and strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy were warmly welcomed in the European Parliament.
On the EPP side, the initiative was welcomed in particular by Christian Ehler (EPP, Germany), coordinator for his group in the Committee on Industry and Research (ITRE), who nevertheless warned of possible market distortions.
The S&D also expressed a positive opinion, through Dan Nica (Romania), also an ITRE coordinator. The latter insisted on the role of SMEs in this industrial ecosystem.
Within the Renew Europe group, the communication was also very well received, notably by Christophe Grudler (France), vice-coordinator for his group on the ITRE committee. He called the communication a “turning point” in European politics.
There was similar positive feedback from the Greens/EFA. The Chair of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO), Anna Cavazzini (Germany), welcomed the introduction of certification to ensure more environmentally friendly chips. She was hoping for more on the circular economy, which she said remains “under-exploited”.
European automotive and semiconductor industries also happy
ESIA, the association representing the European semiconductor industry, also welcomed the initiatives. The Association called on the Parliament and the EU Council to move as quickly as possible in the negotiations on the ‘Chips Act For Europe’ regulation.
CLEPA, the European Association of Automotive Suppliers and Parts, also applauded the actions taken. It also welcomed the creation of the concept of ‘first-of-a-kind’ companies. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)