Member states want to pare back Commission powers to exclude non-EU countries from gaining favourable terms under the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) in a Council revision obtained by Contexte.
Under the Commission’s March proposal, products from countries with free trade or public procurement agreements with the EU would automatically qualify as ‘Made in Europe’.
The Commission could later remove some countries through a delegated act if inclusion risks increasing EU trade dependency or if the other countries fail to reciprocate. In the 3 July revision, EU countries instead want to use implementing acts — a legal basis that requires their involvement and increases their control.
Their changes also “specify the repeal of implementing act when criteria are no longer met”, read an explanatory note attached to the redraft, prepared by Ireland, which took over the Council presidency on 1 July.
The redraft added a new article to define the IAA’s scope regarding low-carbon goods such as steel and concrete in public projects. The ‘Made in EU’ policy has rekindled a battle between advocates of industrial sovereignty and defenders of open trade.
