Dutch Economy Minister Proposes EU Coalition to Strengthen Chip Industry

The Dutch economy minister on Thursday announced his intention to establish a European Union “coalition of the willing” aimed at bolstering domestic computer chip industries to remain competitive with the U.S. and China.

Speaking on the sidelines of a G7 meeting of industry ministers in Rome, Dirk Beljaarts expressed that while the Netherlands hosts the leading chip tool manufacturer ASML, it also aims to assist other EU nations in developing multiple production, assembly, and packaging plants.

Beljaarts emphasised, “To have a stronger EU among global players and gain leverage, it’s essential to collaborate.”

He indicated that the Netherlands is ready to take a leading role in this initiative, highlighting his collaboration with Italian counterpart Adolfo Urso.

Also Read: EU, Japan to deepen chip cooperation

Although the Netherlands ranks as the 18th largest economy globally and is not a G7 member, Beljaarts received an invitation to the meeting focused on technology policy.

The EU recently lost its most prominent advocate for the chip industry with the unexpected departure of former EU Commission industry chief Thierry Breton, who was instrumental in shaping the EU’s Chips Act. Launched in April 2023, the act aims to secure a €43 billion ($46.96 billion) subsidy plan to increase Europe’s share of the global chip market to 20% by 2030.

In Rome, Beljaarts also met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, whose office is expected to introduce new restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductor equipment to China this year, impacting ASML.

Beljaarts noted that this was his first meeting with Raimondo, and they focused on potential areas of cooperation rather than export restrictions.