Advisory Opinion European Committee of the Regions on European chip law: promote local innovation

The European Committee of the Regions, in its advisory opinion on the EU Chips Act, proposes that chip manufacture must take place more in Europe in order to become less dependent on other continents. European regions like North Brabant need to be involved in that process as much as possible. The Province of North Brabant has made this known in a press release.

Most chips are at present being manufactured in Asia. Europe produces only about ten percent of the overall total. With a billion-dollar plan in subsidies and investment from the EU, that proportion should double. The EU Chips Act was presented by the European Commission in February. The legislation is especially important for major players such as ASML and NXP that are headquartered in North Brabant. A lot of innovative research also takes place in this region, but the Act is also very important for other high tech regions in the Netherlands. These subsidies and investments can lead to more jobs and innovations on a local level.

The European Committee of the Regions represents local and regional authorities in the European Union (EU) and is made up of 329 members from regional and local authorities. The committee calls on European member states and the European Parliament to ensure that regional and local authorities are closely involved in the implementation of the EU Chips Act, as they are closely aligned with regional ecosystems. In addition, there must be targeted support for research and development of new technologies if the European industry is to have a secure supply of semiconductors.

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Brabant delegate Martijn van Gruijthuijsen has been a member of the European Committee of the Regions since September 2020. “Chips are essential for all sectors nowadays,” van Gruijthuijsen says. “Cars, computers, medical equipment: without chips, the world would come to a standstill. It matters that Europe takes a strategic position here to protect and promote its own economy and industry.”

The deputy’s main focus in drafting the advisory opinion was on innovation. Van Gruijthuijsen: “It is also definitely necessary to have factories for the today’s generation of chips in Europe, but if we want to stay ahead of the curve, it is imperative that we invest much more right now in research and development into the next generation of chips.”

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