Towards a competitive and sovereign Europe

We support open trade principles in most cases, but we recognise the need for Europe to protect its competitiveness and security.

Ownership and control requirements would impair EU companies and their access to key critical technologies the EU will continue to lack in the coming years.  

We believe in incentives for investments in the EU for both EU and non-EU companies. The EU needs to start using EU-wide measures like large-scale procurement or tax incentives to drive private sector attractiveness and investment in Europe.  

To gain access to public procurement and public funding, in highly sensitive areas like justice and national security, sovereignty requirements to ensure access is controlled in the EU – based on EU legal entity, central staff nationality, data storage and IP access – may be necessary, and also sufficient to defend the EU’s interests.  

The EU needs a special ‘international tech growth fund’ to develop digital partnerships on dual use and critical technologies, attracting companies to invest in the EU from like-minded nations while enabling EU companies to expand globally.  

Price should not be the only procurement criterion. Security, sustainability, innovation potential and access to critical supply chains should also apply.  

Industry is the bridge. There is a need for harmonisation of international, industry-driven standards.