A core question is how many countries should be admitted to the Made in Europe club, which would give their products privileged access to public contracts for everything from wind farms to the steel and cement used in highways and metro systems.
Germany, the bloc’s export powerhouse, is pushing for a broad “Made with Europe” group broadly in line with the original Commission proposal. That foresees admitting partners that have free-trade or public procurement agreements with the EU, or are in a customs union with the bloc. The eligible pool could run to as many as 80 countries.
“Germany rejects protectionism and discrimination,” the German paper reads. “The EU must remain a reliable partner for its free-trade partners and uphold its legal obligations.” It also calls for an “opt-in” possibility to include other third countries that give the EU reciprocal treatment.
No other EU countries have signed up to the German paper, however. France, the bloc’s second-largest economy, is meanwhile pushing in the opposite direction and advocating a more restrictive approach.
While not denying that Europe has to remain open to its trading partners, French Industry Minister Sébastien Martin emphasized that public money must be directed toward production in Europe.
“In the future, it will still be possible to have products with some of their added value coming from elsewhere, but production must take place in Europe in order to qualify for public support,” Martin said as he arrived for Thursday’s meeting in Brussels.
