The European Comission approved this Thursday a European project of common interest by virtue of which 14 member statesamong them Spainthey will be able to invest €8.1 billion in research and development of microelectronics and communication technologies. The project, called IPCEI ME/CT, was notified to the Community Executive by Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Spainreported the institution in a statement collected by Efe.
These fourteen community partners will invest until €8.1 billion in public resources in the development of 68 projects different in charge of 56 companiesin the hope that they will mobilize other 13.700 million in investment by the private sector.
“Microchips are the backbone of Europe’s industrial competitiveness in the digital world. The green and digital transitions will require new advanced technological solutions and that is why we must increase research, development and production capacities in Europe“, explained in a press conference the vice president of the Community Executive responsible for Competition and the Digital Agenda, Margrethe Vestager.
New digital and ecological transformation
He aim of these projects is to contribute to the digital and ecological transformations “creating innovative microelectronics and communication solutions” and “developing energy-efficient and resource-saving electronic systems and production methods.”
In the opinion of Brussels, the projects included in this program will help the block to achieve technological progress in “many sectors”, among which the 5G and 6G networksthe artificial intelligencethe quantum computing and the autonomous driving of vehicles. The community authorities are also confident that the project, which will be developed for a decade, until 2032, can place its first products on the market from 2025 and create up to 8,700 direct jobs and “many more” indirectly.
In his analysis, the European Comission valued that this joint program “will contribute directly” to the achievement of several priority objectives of the EU and that the 68 projects which includes are “very ambitious” because they intend to “develop technologies that go beyond those currently offered by the market”.
those of Competition of the Community Executive They also highlighted that the Planned investments “carry significant technological and financial risks” and, therefore, “public support is necessary to provide incentives for companies to make the investments.”
In parallel form, Brussels concluded that the individual aid per company is limited to an amount “necessary and proportionate” in a way that does not cause “undue distortions” in the single marketwhile they will have “Positive Side Effects Across Europe”.
