von der Leyen advocates for a shift to "Made in Europe" in key industries
Europe - The European Commission defended its "Europe First" policy on Monday, which requires companies receiving public funding to purchase "Made in Europe" components. This measure will be on the agenda of the 27-member state summit this week.
European Commission President von der Leyen explained in a letter to the 27 member state leaders that "Europe must be able to defend its strategic interests" and actively support its own production base, stating that "Europe First" is a necessary tool to achieve this goal. Supporting the European economy will be the central topic at the EU leaders' competitiveness summit on Thursday in Belgium. However, there is still no consensus among member states on the definition and scope of "Made in Europe".
The Brussels side has drafted a legislative proposal aimed at establishing a priority for Europe in certain key areas, including the automotive industry. However, due to differences among member states, the draft has been postponed twice since December last year and is now expected to be reviewed on February 25.
"Why can't we have it?"
France strongly supports this idea, especially hoping to protect its domestic electric vehicle battery industry. But other countries such as Germany oppose it, fearing that this move would increase supply costs for their car manufacturers and other industrial producers, and harm their exports.
EU Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné said, "We must finally establish a real European priority in the most strategically significant fields." He asked, "China has 'Made in China'; the US has 'Buy American'; most other economies also have similar plans to prioritize their own strategic assets. So why can't we?"
In recent months, French President Macron has repeatedly emphasized the need to make progress on this issue to protect European industries caught between the US-China trade war.
This January, Germany and Italy softened their stance and expressed openness to taking such measures, but only if the framework was very limited. In a joint document, the two countries stated their support for "European preferential rules in key and strategic areas, while taking into account our own and our closest partners' trade policy interests."
In other words, these obligations should not hinder Germany or Italy's exports, nor damage relations with major allies.
Last week, six Nordic countries (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, and Sweden) also stated that such measures could only be "limited and moderate, and take into account their potential impact."
It is expected that the debate at the 27-nation leaders' summit held at the castle of Alden Biesen in northeastern Belgium on Thursday will be very intense.
Source: rfi
Original: toutiao.com/article/1856825210670092/
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