The Dutch government announced on Wednesday 8 March that it would impose export controls on certain printing machines used in the manufacture of semiconductors. For other EU countries, coordination at European level is preferable for this type of decision.
The Netherlands joined the US-led initiative back in January, at the same time as Japan, but did not announce anything publicly. The main aim is to prevent China from gaining access to these advanced technologies as much as possible.
The Netherlands is a major player in this field, as the Dutch company ASML is the world leader in lithography equipment, which is essential for the production of electronic chips.
Dutch Trade Minister Liesje Schreinemacher informed her counterparts of the decision in Stockholm on Friday 10 March, but they did not hold a proper discussion on the subject, according to the Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis.
However, the latter indicated earlier that there was room for joint work at EU level in this area: “there is a possibility to bring this kind of decision at the EU level, Dutch have expressed their interest on that.[...] Looking at the current geopolitical context [...] we are taking a broader look at the possibility of having a stronger European framework for export controls and a more coordinated and streamlined system at EU level”, he said ahead of his meeting with ministers.
Ms Schreinemacher expressed her desire for European coordination to the press: “I believe it’s important to show also in this geopolitical situation of today that we are unified in this approach, and that other member states can adopt these measures”. Several of her counterparts have approached the subject in the same way.
Discussions are already taking place between the European Commission and several Member States with advanced production capacities in the semiconductor value chain to assess the situation.
Other observers are more critical, such as the chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade, Bernd Lange (S&D, German), a former colleague of Liesje Schreinemacher (formerly an MEP). The Dutch decision “will further fragment world trade”, according to him.
For the Swedish minister too, an open market is preferable: “We believe in open market access. Some products are more critical than others and we can discuss this. But, in general, we think we have more to gain from open access to the market”, he commented before welcoming his counterparts. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)