The European Parliament voted yesterday to introduce the European Chips Act. The Council of the European Union will be the last party to comment on the Act.
Yesterday, the European Parliament gave its support to the European Chips Act. 587 members voted in favor, 10 voted against and 38 abstained, we note from the press release. Although in principle, the vote served only as a formality, as the European Parliament previously reached an agreement with the European Council on the legislation.
The legislation should guarantee that chips are always available in the EU and stimulate production and innovation. The chip shortages during the pandemic spooked lawmakers. To avoid such issues in the future, a mechanism is being set up to respond quickly to crisis situations.
Stimulating research and finding new talent
During discussions among members of Parliament, it was knocked off that 3.3 billion euros serve to boost research and development.
The chip sector needs a lot of new, local talent for Europe’s production and research plans. The skills of interested inhabitants will be honed through a network of competence centres, which has yet to be set up.
Official agreement already reached
The legislation must pass the Council of the European Union as the final stage. If they agree, EU countries will be obliged to implement the law. Again, a formality, as member states also expressed their support back in April, when an official agreement was reached.
Read also: European Chips Act gets green light, but is it too late?
The European Chips Act has already piqued the interest of chipmakers. We list the investment plans that are already known here.