Europe must move from awareness to action in electronics

“Those still unaware have simply chosen to ignore reality,” Stans said in his keynote, The urgency of a strong European electronics industry. “Now we must move from repeating warnings to defining concrete proposals policymakers can act upon.”

Following the keynote, Evertiq took the opportunity to discuss these proposals further. When asked about the most urgent change required, Stans cautioned against trying to “reclaim everything.” Instead, he urged Europe to make deliberate long-term choices about what it does best and double down on those strengths. If we do that, then we have something to offer the world, and we can negotiate again and make deals.

“If you only ask from the rest of the world, sooner or later you will be eaten like an old chicken,” he said.

Closing the gap between engineers and politicians

For Stans, one of the biggest barriers is visibility. Despite being worth around EUR 160 billion annually, electronics accounts for just 0.7% of EU GDP — making it largely invisible to politicians.

“Politicians are usually lawyers and historians. They don’t even realise how dependent society is on electronics,” he explained.

He believes policymakers must actively engage with engineers to make informed decisions. “The politicians need to talk to the industry, to the engineers and make us work for them. And we are offering that to them in Brussels.”

European origin first

Among the “easy measures with big outcomes” Stans advocates is a European origin procurement law, giving priority to European-made goods and services. With billions in public spending set to flow through the EU Chips Act and the Draghi report, he said this rule would provide industry with hope and a predictable future.

“If we spend public money, European origin should come first. That would give our industry a chance to get a piece of that cake.”

Digitisation to cut inefficiency

Stans also called for a more practical approach to sustainability demands under the EU’s Green Deal. He suggested a centralised European database of raw materials and components, where manufacturers enter information once and engineers across the continent can access it instantly.

“Why does an engineer have to look for this information on the web and websites of suppliers and so on? Why don't we have a centralised database for all of Europe, where millions of designers in Europe can consult this database?” Dirk said. “Ask a few thousand manufacturers to put the information in a database. It’s a logical step.”

Action at the European level

On bridging the gap between industry and policymakers, Stans emphasised that meaningful solutions can only be achieved at the EU level.

“The rest of the world is not bothered by Sweden, Belgium or even Germany, which is the same GDP as California. We only matter if we take this perspective from the European level.”

He acknowledged that European institutions are often understaffed, but also noted that the people working there are typically highly skilled and more science-oriented than at the national level. He even suggested introducing quotas for engineers in politics.

Stans closed with a clear message: Europe doesn’t need sweeping declarations but simple, pragmatic policies that deliver tangible results. The next step? Turn awareness into concrete action.