ASML CEO Warns EU Against Tech Intervention Without Domestic Supply Chain

ASML's CEO Christophe Fouquet has publicly challenged the European Union's approach to achieving technological sovereignty, specifically questioning how Brussels can intervene in global semiconductor supply chains when Europe lacks the infrastructure to support such intervention. His remarks came shortly after the EU announced a semiconductor strategy with controversial emergency powers allowing direct control and diversion of chip supplies during global shortages. Fouquet pointed out that European "buy first" policies are ineffective without competitive domestic alternatives, noting that only 1% of ASML's sales occur in Europe while 80% flow to Asia. He argued that Europe needs to build multiple competitive champions across the semiconductor pipeline to reach a share proportional to its 18% of global GDP. Beyond supply chain concerns, Fouquet warned that European bureaucracy—including strict planning constraints and lengthy permitting processes that take roughly four years to build a factory—is hampering the continent's ability to compete globally, particularly as AI demand for advanced chips surges. He cautioned against heavy-handed regulations that could drive tech startups away from Europe entirely.