The European Committee of the Regions’ Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) has adopted its opinion on the Chips Act 2.0, drafted by Thomas Schmidt (DE/EPP), Member of the Landtag of Saxony, during its meeting in Galway, Ireland. The opinion welcomes a more regionally anchored Chips Act 2.0, including the creation of a label of excellence for European semiconductor regions, and calls for this label to be linked to practical and measurable benefits.
“The European Chips Act 2.0 will determine whether Europe can hold its own in the global race for key technologies or whether it will become permanently dependent,” explained rapporteur Thomas Schmidt during the meeting in Galway, Ireland, adding: “We can promote European sovereignty by harnessing and building on the real strengths of our regional semiconductor ecosystems and by closing Europe’s gaps – from chip design through to manufacturing and advanced packaging.”
The adopted opinion stresses the need to accelerate administrative and state-aid procedures and strengthen the full semiconductor value chain. It also calls for a dedicated semiconductor budget in the next EU budget and a more proactive approach to reducing strategic dependencies and securing critical supplies.
The European Commission presented the Chips Act 2.0 on 3 June, with the aim of strengthening Europe’s semiconductor industry, reducing strategic dependencies, boosting demand for chips and supporting the design and production of advanced and mainstream chips in the EU.
