Ireland endorsed the Semicon Declaration
Ireland has officially endorsed the Semicon Declaration which was formally presented to the European Commission this morning.
Along with fellow EU member states, Ireland has officially endorsed the Declaration of the European Semiconductor Coalition – known as the Semicon Declaration. It recognises the critical importance of semiconductors for the EU’s competitiveness and resilience, and sets out a common position aimed at strengthening EU semiconductor policy. The Declaration has a particular aim of shaping the upcoming revision of the European Chips Act – the ‘Chips Act 2.0’.
The European Semiconductor Coalition was established in March of this year when Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands issued a joint statement where they agreed to reinforce their cooperation to strengthen Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy in the semiconductor sector by supporting research, expanding production capacity and fostering a highly skilled workforce.
It was a move welcomed by the European Commission at the time, which said it provides a strong signal of “member states’ commitment to fostering an innovative, competitive and resilient semiconductor ecosystem in Europe”.
Today (29 September), Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Enterprise Peter Burke, TD, formally endorsed the Semicon Declaration, along with all EU member states, as it was handed over to the European Commission on the sidelines of the Competitiveness Council.
“This morning I am proud to stand with my European colleagues in endorsing the Declaration of the European Semiconductor Coalition,” Burke said. “And I join with them in calling for a revitalised European Chips Act to secure Europe’s place at the forefront of the global semiconductor industry.
“This is Europe’s moment to align national ambitions with a shared vision: to build a semiconductor ecosystem which secures our sovereignty, drives innovation while ensuring prosperity for generations to come,” he said, adding that Ireland is fully committed to this vision.
“Ireland strongly supports this Declaration and thanks our Dutch colleagues for their leadership. We look forward to working with the Commission, industry and our research performing organisations to deliver a European Chips Act 2.0 which guarantees Europe’s technological future.”
Burke pointed to Ireland’s own Silicon Island strategy, launched in May of this year, which aims to expand manufacturing and boost R&D to ensure Ireland plays a role in Europe’s chips ambitions. He said the declaration aligned strongly with the Silicon Island aims
The Semicon Declaration calls on the European Commission to pursue three key objectives in the revision of the European Chips Act:
Prosperity: strengthen the European semiconductor ecosystem to generate economic and societal value.
Indispensability: maintain and enhance leadership in critical points of the value chain.
Resilience: ensure capacity, supply chain stability and technological autonomy.
The Declaration identifies five policy priorities:
Ecosystem: strengthen collaboration among industry, research, SMEs, start-ups.
Investment: align EU and national funding, accelerate approvals for strategic projects and mobilise private capital.
Skills: build a robust European talent pipeline in semiconductor technologies.
Sustainability: promote green, energy-efficient and circular semiconductor manufacturing.
International partnerships: collaborate with like-minded global partners while protecting European strategic autonomy.
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