As the European Commission prepares the Industrial Accelerator Act, the review of the Public Procurement Directives, and the next Multiannual Financial Framework,) Europe’s electronics industry has issued an urgent call. A coalition of leading European electronics associations has formally written to Executive Vice Presidents Séjourné and Virkkunen, warning that Europe’s share of critical electronics manufacturing, particularly Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs), electronic assembly, and system integration, continues to decline sharply.

Electronics underpin Europe’s defence systems, healthcare equipment, mobility platforms, energy infrastructure, and digital networks. Yet without targeted intervention, Europe’s role in global electronics manufacturing is projected to decline further by 2035, increasing its dependency on non-EU suppliers for strategic technologies.

The industry is calling for:

• A comprehensive European Electronics Industrial Strategy
• Full recognition of electronics as a strategic sector
• Carefully designed European preference criteria, including for public procurement and for strategic applications
• Expansion of the European Chips Act to a “Chips Act Plus” that explicitly includes PCBs, PCBA, and system integration
• Strategic use of procurement spending to create demand for trusted electronics suppliers to ensure product security and resilience of the supply chain

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