But the Commission would leave it to EU capitals to decide which changes, if any, need to be made, according to two people briefed on the plan — meaning governments can choose to do nothing.
“Strengthening Europe’s technological base and independence in key digital supply chains —especially where other technology powerhouses exist — creates strategic counterweights that enhance Europe’s capacity to remain open to the world, without compromising its interests and values,” the Commission writes in the draft strategy.
2. Making Europe chips-hungry
Brussels is eyeing new, large-scale microchip projects through its proposed revision of the chips law, obtained by POLITICO. Such projects would get easier access to public support, faster permitting and preferential access to pilot lines.
The law will build on the original Chips Act, adopted in 2023, but shifts the focus toward scaling up industrial capacity, improving crisis preparedness and stimulating demand amid warnings that it doesn’t make economic sense to build new chip factories without generating demand first.
“The recent semiconductor shortages are a stark demonstration of the extent to which supply disruptions tangibly impact Europeans’ lives, affecting the industrial production of cars, healthcare equipment, energy infrastructure and consumer goods across the Union,” the Commission writes.
3. Betting on open-source tech
In its effort to break the U.S.’s dominance, the EU executive also wants to leverage open-source technology — software for which the code is publicly available, making it easier to stay in control of data and systems, switch between providers and avoid being locked into a single vendor.