European countries agree to strengthen position in semiconductor industry
At the initiative of minister Beljaarts of Economic Affairs of The Netherlands, 9 countries have established the Semicon Coalition in Brussels at 12 March 2025. The responsible ministers of Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and The Netherlands have agreed to strengthen the European semiconductor industry. The cooperation focuses on the development of new, reliable and innovative technologies, strengthening and expanding Europe’s position in the value chain and enabling faster commercialization of research.
Semiconductors are the backbone of our society and our economies, powering everything innovative from artificial intelligence, aerospace, defense, mobility, communications to energy. Strengthening Europe’s position in this strategic sector is not just an economic priority, but also a strategic necessity for prosperity and security, according to the 9 involved countries. Better cooperation enhances technological sovereignty, resilience and strategic autonomy of the EU. The Semicon Coalition will work together with the European Commission who was in attendance during the launch today.
Minister Dirk Beljaarts of Economic Affairs of The Netherlands: “The ministers of the 9 involved countries all agree that Europe’s governments, industry and knowledge institutes need to align their efforts. The EU must strongly enhance its cooperation. For the very first time we have agreed to coordinate a joint approach for the semiconductor industry. Which includes a common strategy to increase production capacity, invest in cutting-edge research and develop a skilled workforce throughout Europe.”
Objectives of the Semicon Coalition are expanding production capacity within the EU and further strengthening Europe’s current key leading positions within the global semiconductor value chain. The initiative is also responding to an ongoing global increase in public investments within this industry. At present, a joint financing of € 43 billion is available for the European semiconductor industry through the EU Chips Act. Other large public multibillion investments are the CHIPS & Science Act in the US, The Big Fund in China and several substantial initiatives in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. Together with the European Commission the new Semicon Coalition will explore support possibilities within Europe for the long term.