Which companies should be subsidized by the state is controversial.
(Photo: dpa)
Brussels When it comes to the EU’s strategic goals, the Commission does not want to be too precise about its own principles. The EU rules actually set limits on how much state money companies can use to support them. But the member states can spend significantly more money on important projects that are in the common European interest. These projects are called “Ipcei”, “Important Projects of Common European Interest”.
The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) is now warning that “billions of euros in taxpayers’ money are being used incorrectly” in this way. The establishment of productions in this way should “only be allowed to be used in a few and particularly well-founded exceptional cases, such as aspects of public health, safety or the development of extensive infrastructures,” says a position paper that has not yet been published by the Handelsblatt is present.
We support projects that produce the latest, market-ready technologies through research and development. This does not apply to the previously funded projects on chip and battery production.
The EU has already lost some of its technological ties in these areas and has become dependent on imports. Instead of correcting this, the causes should be eliminated with a view to future technologies, according to the DIHK.
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“The EU must not get bogged down in competition with the major economic regions USA and China,” DIHK President Peter Adrian told Handelsblatt. “If we want to reduce our economic dependency on other countries, we must above all focus on innovations and entrepreneurial success in international markets.”
DIHK sees opportunities in B2B applications
Future innovations will often have to do with the use of large amounts of data. US corporations have collected enormous amounts of user data, while Chinese companies benefit from government funding and an ambitious AI strategy. For the Europeans, the DIHK sees opportunities primarily in business-to-business applications (B2B) and the “refinement of machine-related data”.
To this end, the EU institutions recently agreed on a data governance law. It is intended to create the legal basis for companies to share their data in order to make research and development possible for others. Certified intermediaries should receive and save the data in order to make them available to interested researchers. This is intended, for example, to prevent sensitive data from becoming public.
European industrial policy could also support companies with a “radical search through the density of regulations,” said Adrian. In addition, there are still barriers to trade between EU countries. “In the EU, a task force has been trying for a year to remove hurdles in the European internal market,” said Adrian. But so far no great progress has been seen.
More: Concern about battery secrets: That is why Tesla does without government aid worth billions