NextFin news, On Monday, September 29, 2025, European Union member states formally endorsed the Semicon Declaration, a joint commitment to bolster the EU's semiconductor industry by calling for a stronger and revitalized European Chips Act. The endorsement took place during the Competitiveness Council meeting in Brussels, where Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke, TD, alongside representatives from all EU member states, handed over the declaration to the European Commission.
The Semicon Declaration, initiated by the European Semiconductor Coalition earlier this year, recognizes the critical importance of semiconductors for the EU’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy. It aims to shape the upcoming revision of the European Chips Act, often referred to as 'Chips Act 2.0,' to better support research, expand production capacity, and develop a highly skilled workforce within the EU.
The coalition originally formed in March 2025, with Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands agreeing to reinforce cooperation in the semiconductor sector. Ireland joined this effort by endorsing the declaration on Monday, emphasizing its alignment with Ireland’s own 'Silicon Island' strategy launched in May 2025, which focuses on expanding semiconductor manufacturing and research and development.
Minister Peter Burke stated, "I am proud to stand with my European colleagues in endorsing the Declaration of the European Semiconductor Coalition and call 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 build a semiconductor ecosystem that secures our sovereignty, drives innovation, and ensures prosperity for generations to come."
The Semicon Declaration outlines three key objectives for the Chips Act revision: prosperity through strengthening the semiconductor ecosystem to generate economic and societal value; indispensability by maintaining and enhancing leadership in critical points of the value chain; and resilience to ensure capacity, supply chain stability, and technological autonomy.
It also identifies five policy priorities: fostering ecosystem collaboration among industry, research institutions, SMEs, and startups; aligning EU and national investments and accelerating approvals for strategic projects; building a robust talent pipeline in semiconductor technologies; promoting sustainable, energy-efficient, and circular semiconductor manufacturing; and developing international partnerships while protecting European strategic autonomy.
The original European Chips Act, which came into force on September 21, 2023, focuses on increasing funding for research and innovation, building new manufacturing capacity with integrated 'first-of-a-kind' facilities, and establishing a crisis response mechanism for supply chain disruptions. The Act is currently under review, with a public consultation open until November 2025.
The endorsement of the Semicon Declaration by all EU member states sends a strong signal of collective commitment to fostering an innovative, competitive, and resilient semiconductor ecosystem in Europe. The European Commission welcomed the move, highlighting it as a crucial step toward securing Europe's technological future amid global competition and supply chain challenges.
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