Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen.
Good morning – it is a pleasure to welcome you to this years Export Control Forum.
Today provides an opportunity for experts from Member States, EU institutions, industry, academia, and civil society to discuss the latest developments in export controls in the European Union.
Export controls are a key part of our economic security toolbox, including when it comes to international peace and security and the protection of human rights.
And historically, they have been dealt with on a multilateral basis. Up until recently, this has worked, and the EU continues to strongly support this approach.
But we all know times have changed.
We find ourselves living in a fast-changing and complex world, where economic tools are increasingly being used to achieve geopolitical goals.
This new reality has brought export controls to the fore, putting them – and your work – firmly under the spotlight in the debate around economic security.
My team and I are currently hard at work finalising a new economic security ‘doctrine, which we will put forward early next month.
Over the past few years, it has become clear that we need a cohesive and coherent joint approach to economic security.
Because those who seek to abuse the system are always looking for a weak spot in application, which in turn harms the whole EU.
So I am very happy that Member States see the added value of European coordination with a view to increasing the effectiveness of the model – something clear from my numerous meetings with Ministers.
Without giving too much away, I can say that the doctrine will outline a coordinated and coherent use of our tools, including export controls, in order to strengthen our hand on the global stage and more effectively respond to the most urgent risks to our economy.
This is not an attempt to reinvent the wheel.
Our efforts continue to be informed by the 2023 European Economic Strategy, which aims at minimising risks arising from certain economic flows in the context of increased geopolitical tensions and accelerated technological shifts, while preserving maximum levels of economic openness and dynamism.
Rather, the doctrine will be about accelerating our action.
We recognise that the widely-held and long-standing understanding that underpins the international approach to export controls is under significant pressure.
Export controls are no longer just about security.
Increasingly, they are being used as a means to gain geopolitical influence.
A way to leverage and even weaponise dependencies of others.
This is not limited to any one country or region.
For example, great powers have been using export controls to cut each other off from high-tech supply chains, seeking to limit technological evolution.
Or imposing unilateral export controls targeting areas like critical raw materials and certain key technologies.
This is having a dramatic effect on global supply chains, and negatively impacting industry in Europe and around the world.
And it isnt just economically damaging.
When inputs vital for the functioning of a modern economy are weaponised in this manner, it puts at risk our most strategic interests and, ultimately, our prosperity.
Our utmost priority of course remains to find effective, fair, and lasting solutions to these issues.
I have spent a lot of time in recent weeks and months engaging with my counterparts and pursuing proactive dialogue to that effect.
But we also need to take into consideration the context of Russias illegal invasion of Ukraine, and the rapid and unprecedented deployment of sanctions which this has brought about.
Not least, the imposition of export restrictions on dual-use and sensitive items critical for curbing Russias ability to wage war.
Moscow has subsequently blocked the adoption of the most important new controls on emerging technologies under the Wassenaar Arrangement, effectively paralysing the multilateral system and putting global security at greater risk.
In addition, this puts pressure on EU Member States and our partners to take action outside of multilateral regimes, something which threatens to reduce the effectiveness of the latter, while increasing the risk of fragmentation of the Single Market.
To overcome this challenge, the EU, together with the Member States, has taken action to update the EU-wide export controls list to cover not only controls that have been agreed within the regimes, but, importantly, also those that have been blocked.
This updated list of controls is being published today. It covers such critical technology areas as quantum, semiconductor manufacturing and testing equipment as well as advanced computing integrated circuits.
The update brings the EU control list in line with consensus reached in various multilateral regimes. The U.S. and UK already have similar controls in place. And others will follow.
This is a pragmatic response that we have crafted carefully together with Member States, working hand in hand to protect Europes core interests while staying open to the world.
We remain firm in our belief that a multilateral approach to export controls is the most effective for protecting international security and supporting a global level-playing field.
But we have to act when that approach comes under so much stress that it stops delivering.
Uniform EU-level controls guarantee effectiveness and transparency while maintaining our competitiveness and a level-playing-field for economic operators.
Looking ahead, we find ourselves at a crossroads.
We need to reflect, in the light of the new global reality, whether our current tools, designed in a very different context, are sufficient.
Whether they are being used to their maximum efficiency.
Or whether we need to adapt them to the world of today.
This question will be at the heart of the review we are launching of the current EU Export Control framework.
And it is one to which your input will be crucial to shaping the answer.
So I am very happy that you have the chance today to exchange and discuss as to how we can strengthen the export controls system in Europe and address these different challenges.
Your ideas will feed into the collective thinking on the best way forward.
I think we can all agree that we must find the right balance between security and competitiveness; between maintaining our prosperity while ensuring our collective safety.
So once again, welcome to this years Export Control Forum, and I wish you a productive day.
Thank you.
