EU Member States’ permanent representatives are expected to give the European Commission the green light on, Wednesday 3 June to join, on behalf of the EU, the US semiconductor initiative called Pax Silica (see EUROPE 13851/8).
The Commission has in fact managed to provide final guarantees to the Member States, including on the governance of the initiative and the role assigned to the Member States. Some countries, such as France, wanted the Commission to clarify the steering role entrusted to the Council of the European Union and to provide a better understanding of how this global alliance fits together with the G7 and the comprehensive agreement on critical materials. They also wanted a firmer reference to European unity, which will have to be respected, as some feared that the United States might be tempted to divide the Member States.
Pax Silica is an initiative launched by the United States in late 2025 to secure global supply chains for AI semiconductors, critical minerals and advanced technologies. It aims to reduce reliance on single sources by building a secure silicon supply chain – spanning from mining and processing of raw materials to semiconductor design, AI manufacturing and infrastructure such as data centres – as well as fostering a trusted, resilient network of allies in order to ensure technological and economic security, a note states.
The Commission has therefore sent a statement to the Council of the European Union. In this document seen by Agence Europe, the Commission says it supports “efforts to enhance coordination on AI and tech supply chains with partner countries. Beyond the U.S., participants in the Pax Silica initiative include Australia, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, United Kingdom, with whom the EU has established close bilateral cooperation in the area of digital and tech”.
European unity. As part of its participation in areas of EU competence, “the Commission will work closely with the Council to advance the EU’s interest and to maintain EU unity”. The Commission will regularly inform and seek guidance from the Council, notably regarding the next Pax Silica meetings, their outcomes and any change regarding the substance of the initiative.
Moreover, the EU’s participation in Pax Silica is “without prejudice to the allocation of competences between the EU and the Member States under the EU Treaties, or to export controls and foreign direct investments (FDI) screening conducted in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/821 [dual-use goods] and FDI Screening Regulation 219/452”.
The Commission has received answers from the United States on several aspects of Pax Silica, the government says, notably on the governance and nature of the initiative, potential overlap with the G7 and the relationship with the EU-US partnership.
The Commission is engaging in this initiative on the understanding that the EU’s access to advanced semiconductors is guaranteed by the EU-US Joint Statement of August 2025. In this respect, the Commission will seek confirmation of the United States’ commitment to guarantee EU access to advanced semiconductors without any export restrictions.
Moreover, the Pax Silica Declaration is “not legally binding” and nothing in the initiative “infringes on EU internal processes or decision-making. The cooperation in this initiative is without prejudice to the regulatory autonomy of the European Union”.
As regards relations with the G7, the Commission has received explicit commitments that Pax Silica is fully complementary to the G7 workstreams on critical raw materials, digital and economic security, and does not seek to duplicate or replace this forum in any way.
The Council of the European Union will in turn be invited to validate this green light given to the Commission on 8 June, by adopting the so-called A items (adoption without debate). (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)