When EU leaders meet at Alden Biesen Castle on Friday, one idea will loom large over the discussions: “European preference,” more commonly framed as “Made in Europe.”
Yet the bloc remains far from united on what that should mean.
Long championed by France, the idea is simple: EU public procurement should prioritise goods with local content, helping protect the single market from foreign rivals — particularly Chinese companies.
The concept has been gaining traction in EU capitals and within the European Commission. Yet since it surfaced at a meeting of the 27 industry ministers last December, clear divisions have emerged.
Paris is pushing for a strict definition of “Made in EU,” especially in clean tech, steel, autos and chemicals.
“When a French guy says protection, some people want to hear protectionism, but It’s not my political DNA,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, adding: “I don’t believe in protectionism, but I don’t believe in such a naive continent where we are the only one in this world not to protect the local producers.”
Berlin, meanwhile, favours a softer approach under the label “Made with Europe,” which would leave the door open to companies from partner countries outside the EU. It would also confine the policy to strategic sectors such as defence and technology – and only for a limited period.
A third group – the Nordics and Baltics, along with the Netherlands – sounded the alarm in a paper circulated ahead of the summit, warning that “Made in Europe” “risks wiping out our [EU’s] simplification efforts, hindering companies’ access to world-leading technology, hampering exchange with other markets and pushing investments away from the EU.”
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