Thomas G. SCHMIDT (DE/EPP), Member of the Saxon State Parliament, rapporteur for this opinion, would like to gather your views and feedback on this topic and specifically on the following questions:
- How do you assess ECA 1.0 for your region? Who participated in the evaluation of the European Commission? What positive aspects resulted from ECA 1.0? What was missing?
- State aid for investment projects based on the "first-of-a-kind" criterion is expected to remain available. How should support under the ECA 2.0 be designed? How can state aid procedures be simplified and accelerated? How should the ECA 2.0 be financed under the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) from 2028 onwards?
- What specifically do you expect from an ECA 2.0 for the semiconductor clusters located in your region? What specific design of the funding instruments does the research and development landscape, or the manufacturers and suppliers, require? In which industrial sectors or research fields should the approach of “reinforcing current European strengths” be applied in particular?
- How do you assess the European Commission's proposal for an ECA 2.0? Does it address the needs of regional semiconductor ecosystems and provide the right instruments for implementation at regional level? Who needs to create which conditions in order to implement the substantial expansion of the objectives under ECA 2.0?
- With ECA 2.0, the European Commission pursues four objectives: (1) improving conditions for investment and competitiveness, (2) stimulating demand and industry uptake, (3) strengthening supply-side measures and (4) strengthening resilience and reducing dependencies. In your view, are these the right objectives?
- Compared with the European Chips Act 1.0, the proposal of the European Chips Act 2.0 takes a significantly broader approach and addresses a substantially larger spectrum of the semiconductor value chain. In your view, where does this approach go too far? Where are even the wrong priorities being set, and which areas of the European semiconductor industry or value chain are nevertheless insufficiently taken into account or missing entirely?
- Which additional priorities or fundamental prerequisites, such as skilled labour, infrastructure, energy supply and grid capacity, should be taken into account in order to ensure successful implementation?
- The European Commission wants to create better framework conditions for semiconductor investment at regional level. What framework conditions are needed, and where, so that regions can successfully attract semiconductor investment? How should these framework conditions be designed?
- How can ECA 2.0 better link semiconductor technologies with industrial AI applications, advanced manufacturing and energy-efficient digitalisation along European value chains?
- How and which advanced and innovative chip technologies, such as photonics for energy-saving chips or smaller semiconductor nodes, should be supported? How do you intend to benefit from the focus on latest-generation chips such as AI chips, quantum chips and photonic chips?
- Which requirements should form part of the “grand challenges” criterion? What impacts should these have?
- How do you assess the planned “European Semiconductor Region of Excellence” label, and what (new) opportunities do you see it creating for your company/institution? How do you assess the planned network of the “European Semiconductor Region of Excellence”?
- The European Commission wants to strengthen research, innovation and skills development across the entire semiconductor ecosystem.
How should the research infrastructures that have been established (especially the Pilot Lines) be taken forward?
How can advanced and innovative chip technologies such as photonics for energy-saving chips or semiconductor process nodes below 10 nanometres be supported in a more targeted way?
Expanded testing and verification capacities can make the EU’s entire semiconductor ecosystem more resilient. What is needed to expand these capacities?
How can advanced and innovative chip technologies such as photonics for energy-saving chips or semiconductor process nodes below 10 nanometres be supported in a more targeted way?
How can Europe better address the shortage of skilled workers in the semiconductor sector and provide more targeted support for talent?
How can EU-wide access to strategic semiconductor infrastructures, such as pilot lines, testing facilities and design platforms, be improved? - From your perspective, can increased back-end production in Europe enhance supply-chain resilience and help ensure security of supply in the event of disruptions? If yes: In which areas and why should we build up back-end production in Europe? What promotes the development of a backend ecosystem? If no: why not?
You will find the briefing document and the rapporteur´s questionnaire here: Briefing Questionnaire CHIPS
Interpretation: English and German
The consultation will take place in hybrid format, on the premises of the CoR, Bâtiment Jacques Delors Rue Belliard 99-101, Brussels, in room JDE 53, and online.
Please REGISTER HERE for your participation online or in person by Monday, 7 September 2026 (midnight). If you have registered to participate online via Interactio, you will receive the participation link shortly before the meeting.
In case you prefer to send your input in writing, please send it to econ@cor.europa.eu and audrey.parizel@cor.europa.eu and adr@smr.sachsen.de by Monday, 7 September 2026 at the latest.