fFor EU Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton, the lesson from the Corona crisis and the Russian attack on Ukraine is clear: the EU needs new instruments to be able to ensure the supply of important products in crises. How else does she intend to prevent the difficulties in supplying vaccines, face masks, semiconductors or even gas from repeating themselves? The next step could be the supply of rare earths, which are extremely important for the production of laptops, smartphones, LED lights or electric motors. China has a de facto monopoly on this and that is anything but reassuring in the current geopolitical situation. Ultimately, however, the Commission is concerned with all types of goods or services that could become scarce in the EU as a result of geopolitical crises, climate change, natural disasters, the loss of biodiversity or global economic instability.
The European Commission no longer wants to rely on European companies being able to take precautions themselves. In mid-September, she therefore intends to present an “emergency instrument for the single market”. This should give the EU Commission a whole set of tools to directly control the supply of individual products in immediate crises, but also in critical situations. The FAZ has a draft of the proposal.