European Union officials have launched a review of foreign access to high-end emerging technology, a sign U.S. policymakers and analysts see as Brussels embracing President Joe Biden’s wariness of Chinese technology developments.
“Technology is currently at the heart of geopolitical competition and the EU wants to be a player, and not a playground,” EU Commission Vice President Vera Jourova, a former Czech politician, told reporters in Strasbourg.
DESANTIS HITS BACK AT TRUMP DURING CALIFORNIA GOP CONVENTION
Jourova and her colleagues unveiled a list of 10 technology sectors that they will deem “critical” enough to shield from unreliable foreign states. EU officials have taken care not to characterize it as an initiative to target China, but U.S. politicians were encouraged by the step, despite an undercurrent of tension between the EU and flagship American technology companies.
“It’s following, I think, what Jake Sullivan has done in limiting high-tech manufacturing going into China which could help their military,” Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) told the Washington Examiner. “Obviously, they’ve been very antagonistic towards American tech, but at the very least, they need to have common ground in restricting it going into China.”
Another senior EU official touted the “de-risking” in terms that evoke French President Emmanuel Macron’s dream of “strategic autonomy” for Europe. “We want to de-risk, but not only with China, with everybody, including some time, if it’s needed, with some of our like-minded partners,” EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said.
The officials listed 10 technology areas, from advanced semiconductor microchips to robotics, that will be deemed “critical technologies” for regulatory purposes. They selected four in particular “that are considered highly likely to present the most sensitive and immediate risks” if they fall into the wrong hands — the advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, and biotechnology.
“The Commission recommends that Member States, together with the Commission, initially conduct collective risk assessments of these four areas by the end of this year,” the EU stated in a bulletin.
That process likely will show that European officials have the power to enhance their security against China, but not their autonomy, according to a U.S.-based analyst.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“So, Europe, in a lot of ways, does a lot of very sophisticated work there, but they’re not necessarily at the leading edge,” the Hudson Institute’s Bryan Clark told the Washington Examiner. “This is going to force Europe to depend even more on the U.S. to be its technology partner. And maybe it’ll affect its desire for autonomy as it attempts to de-risk from China.”
Jourova, for her part, gave a clear signal of the sources of the risk. “We’ve all seen what can be the risks of too much dependency, be it during the COVID pandemic or now with the Russian war in Ukraine,” she said.
