At an informal EU summit in Belgium, heads of state and government discussed a new “Buy European” strategy. The aim is to boost Europe’s competitiveness against China and the United States by giving preference to European-made products in key sectors such as defense, clean tech, and AI. There is broad awareness of Europe’s economic challenges and general agreement on the need to strengthen the single market.
However, there are disagreements about how to move forward. France supported targeted European preference rules, while other countries, including Germany and Ireland, warned that protectionist measures could discourage investment and complicate the EU’s open trade model. An action plan is expected by March.