The Twenty-seven have today given their final approval to the new European Chip Law with which the bloc intends to mobilize 43,000 million euros in investments, with the aim of doubling the weight of the EU in world semiconductor production and thus occupying 20% of the international market by 2030 and breaking dependence on other powers such as China.
The new community regulations will be based on three pillars: the development of large-scale technological means, a framework to guarantee security of supply and resilience by attracting investment, and a mechanism for monitoring and responding to crises with which to anticipate shortages of supply and offer alternatives in emergency situations.
Of the 43,000 million euros in public and private investment that the European Union aspires to mobilize with this initiative, a total of 3,000 million euros will come directly from community areas.
A ‘Joint Chip Undertaking’
A ‘Joint Chip Undertaking’ will be established to channel actions and be in charge of selecting centers of excellence, while the scope of “pioneering facilities” will be expanded to include in this category those plants that produce the machinery necessary for the manufacture of chips. The so-called “pioneer facilities” will have the objective of guaranteeing security of supply for the internal market and undermining more agile authorization granting procedures.
In addition, design centers that significantly enhance the Union’s resources in innovative chip design will be eligible to receive the European “design center of excellence” label from Brussels. For their part, Member States may apply, in accordance with current legislation, support measures for design centers that receive this seal.
“With the Chip Law, Europe is leading the global semiconductor race. We can already see it in action: new production plants, new investments, new research projects. And, in the long run, this will also contribute to the revival of our industry and the reduction of our foreign dependencies,” said the Spanish Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Héctor Gómez Hernández, who this semester holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, after the formal adoption of the Twenty-seven.
Once the legislative act is signed by the presidencies of the European Parliament and the Council, the new rule will enter into force days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.
