Chipmaking In The EU

Introduction

In recent weeks, the Dutch government announced that it had taken temporary control of a Dutch-based semiconductor manufacturer by invoking a domestic legislation called the "Goods Availability Act", citing concerns that the semiconductor company's Chinese owner was planning to transfer intellectual property to another company. The Dutch-based chipmaker is considered a leading producer of power and signal semiconductors used in automotive and consumer electronics, and the takeover fuelled a trade war that threatened to halt production across various industries.

While the step was domestically justified as essential to secure technological sovereignty, it also raised questions about how other EU jurisdictions—such as Malta—would respond to similar risks under their own investment-screening frameworks.