At the initiative of Dutch Minister Beljaarts (Economic Affairs), 9 countries have agreed to strengthen the European semiconductor industry. The ministers of Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland and Spain founded the so-called Semicon Coalition on 12 March 2025, in Brussels. The collaboration focuses on additional innovation, expanding the European position to other parts of the value chain and bringing technology to the market faster.
Peter Stolk, chair Holland High Tech:
The start of the Semicon Coalition is a very important step in the further strengthening of the semiconductor industry in Europe and the Netherlands. As Holland High Tech we play an active role, together with other players from the ecosystem, to support and further this development. We do this in our innovation programming and of course also via the Semiconductors knowledge and innovation agenda.
Semiconductors are a building block for virtually all business processes, devices, machines and consumer products. Strengthening the European position in this chain is not only an economic priority, but also a strategic necessity for maintaining prosperity and security, according to the 9 countries. Better cooperation also helps to improve European autonomy, resilience and earning capacity. The coalition will work together with the European Commission, which was present at the launch today, to achieve its goals.
Minister Dirk Beljaarts (Economic Affairs):
The economic ministers of the countries involved all agree that European countries, industry and knowledge institutes need to work together more intensively. Not a little more, but much more. We have agreed to set up a joint approach for the first time to increase production capacity, to have more public and private financing for the latest semiconductor technologies and applications and to invest in sufficiently trained people who can work in this sector.
The coalition’s goals include expanding production capacity within the EU and further strengthening the current European global players in the semiconductor value chain. The initiative by the nine countries also responds to the global increase in government investment in the sector. For example, a joint financing of €43 billion is currently available for the European semiconductor chain via the EU Chips Act. Other major international billion-dollar projects include the CHIPS & Science Act in the US, The Big Fund in China and investments in South Korea, Taiwan and Japan. The Semicon Coalition will therefore also look at the way in which support can be provided in the longer term together with the European Commission.
