Major EU members offered qualified support for the bloc’s flagship industrial plans on Thursday during the first debate over a proposal that has deepened tensions with China.
The debate took place at the bloc’s competitiveness council. Supportive member states warned that the emergency facing EU industry meant there was no time for dawdling.
The proposal, known as the Industrial Accelerator Act, aims to require companies seeking to invest in Europe and access public subsidies, procurement markets and fast-track permitting to meet stringent terms. These conditions mirror approaches used by Beijing for decades.
The measure has heightened concerns over industrial competition with China.