Union Chancellor candidate Armin Laschet (CDU) has spoken out in favor of faster approval and planning procedures in order to advance semiconductor production in Europe.
"It needs a new dynamic and a clear goal," said the politician on Thursday during a visit to the Dresden chip manufacturer Globalfoundries.
The EU’s global market share in chip production must be doubled to 20 percent.
According to Laschet, this requires, among other things, changed competition law in Europe.
"We need chip autonomy." The worldwide shortage of semiconductors is "dramatically" noticeable and could "endanger the industrial substance of Germany if we do not become self-sufficient."
Laschet admitted that decisions are often tedious.
It is the task of a new federal government to accelerate the processes.
Negotiations are currently underway for a planned new edition of the European IPCEI aid program for microelectronics worth billions.
“Consciously” in the east
Globalfoundries managing director Manfred Horstmann had previously stated that around one billion should be invested in expanding chip production at the Dresden location.
For this, subsidies are needed to cope with the expansion.
The CDU federal chairman and Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia made a stop in Dresden on his election campaign tour, then traveled on to Torgau and Frankfurt / Oder.
Laschet emphasized that he “quite consciously” decided to go to the East at the beginning of his election campaign.
More jobs, added value and federal authorities are needed in the region.
The global shortage of semiconductors is currently causing problems for many industries.
Car manufacturers repeatedly shut down their plants for a few days or weeks because chips that are needed to build the cars are missing.
The delivery times are therefore longer.
Consumer electronics are also affected.
For example, the prices for game consoles are rising.