BRUSSELS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Monday it had delayed the announcement of a policy to prioritise industrial parts and products made in Europe by a week after disagreements
EU Postpones ‘Made in Europe’ Plan Amid Disputes Over Its Scope
Policy Delay and Scope Dispute
BRUSSELS, Feb 23 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Monday it had delayed the announcement of a policy to prioritise industrial parts and products made in Europe by a week after disagreements over the geographic scope of the scheme.
Strategic Sectors Listed
Local Content Thresholds
The measures - which would set minimum thresholds for locally made parts in projects using public funds in strategic sectors including batteries, solar and wind energy and nuclear power - were scheduled to be announced on Thursday.
New Presentation Date
"Following discussion ... presentation of the IAA is now scheduled for the 4th of March,” a spokesperson for the office of Commission Executive Vice President Stéphane Séjourné said, referring to the policies that would be drawn up under the new Industrial Accelerator Act.
Push for ‘Made in Europe’
Governments including France have been championing the idea of "Made in Europe" regulations, arguing that European industries need protection in the face of cheaper imports from markets, including China, with looser environmental and other regulations.
Concerns Over Competitiveness
But others, including Sweden and the Czech Republic, warn that "buy local" requirements could deter investment, raise prices in government tenders, and hurt the EU's competitiveness globally.
EFTA countries named
Beyond EU and EFTA
Industry Requests on Scope
Carmakers and other industries have called for the protections to be extended beyond the EU and EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) to include other territories in their supply chains including Britain and Turkey.
Part of the Clean Industrial Deal
The IAA is part of the Commission’s Clean Industrial Deal, adopted in February last year to boost the bloc's global competitiveness particularly with U.S. and Chinese rivals.
Next Steps and Rationale
“We hope that this additional week of internal discussions will allow to make the proposal even more rock-solid," the Commission spokesperson said.
(Reporting by Alexander Chituc and Julia Payne; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
