Germany and France want to speed up the planned semiconductor alliance

Germany and France want to speed up the planned European semiconductor alliance in view of the current lack of chips. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire called the semiconductors "a new oil" on Thursday. His German counterpart, Peter Altmaier, said after the digital German-French economic and financial council that there was intense discussion about ways to create a common European project. Altmaier pointed to the global shortage of semiconductors. Therefore, he said, there is a need to increase investment and production in Europe in this area. Specifically, an important Project of Common European Interest (IPCEI) with the possibility of state support is planned in the field of semiconductor production. Such a project is already working, for example, to support research and innovation in the production of battery cells for electric vehicles in Europe. Altmaier and Le Maire also stated that IPCEI was also being considered in the pharmaceutical industry. For example, the automotive industry, for example, has been plagued by a shortage of chips. During the corona crisis, large semiconductor manufacturers shifted capacity towards consumer electronics production to meet high demand. The situation was further complicated by production outages in Japan and the USA. The European Commission considers one of the lessons of the pandemic that the European Union must, in general, increase its independence in the area of ​​imports of strategic products. At the same time, it wants to support digitization and the transition to a green economy.