The policy, still under negotiation, aims to protect European companies from intense and \u201cunfair\u201d state-subsidised competition from China<\/a>. But the government fears British companies risk being collateral damage and resolving the issue has become one of Burnham\u2019s top priorities for the EU-UK relationship.<\/p>\n One key EU proposal is the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), which would require authorities spending public money \u2013 awarding subsidies or public contracts \u2013 to favour European products in sectors such as renewable technologies and electric cars<\/a>.<\/p>\n But there is an intense debate inside the EU on how to define \u201cmade in Europe\u201d and how far to include countries such as the UK, Canada and Japan.<\/p>\n At a meeting of EU industry ministers in Brussels on Thursday, France pushed for a narrow definition, starting with the EU27.<\/p>\n \u201cEuropean taxpayers\u2019 money should support [European] workers and European factories,\u201d the French industry minister, S\u00e9bastien Martin, told reporters.<\/p>\n Asked about the UK, he said: \u201cThe United Kingdom made a choice a few years ago to leave the European Union<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean that we don\u2019t discuss things or that we don\u2019t trade, it doesn\u2019t mean that there can\u2019t be agreements in certain sectors, but fundamentally there are those who have chosen the European project and those who have decided to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n France\u2019s Europe minister, Benjamin Haddad, speaking in London, had few assurances to offer the Burnham government either.<\/p>\n Asked about the risks of pushing the EU\u2019s like-minded trading partners away, Haddad said: \u201cAt the end of the day, if you are not part of the internal market and if you are not contributing to the financial capacity of the internal market, you don\u2019t get the same kind of protection.\u201d<\/p>\n Germany wants a broader \u201cMade with Europe\u201d policy that would include the UK and other allies. Germany\u2019s economic affairs minister, Katherina Reiche, told her counterparts: \u201cWe must reduce unilateral and critical dependencies, but we must not isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. This means that partner countries must be included in the union-origin principle, in general and on the condition of reciprocity.\u201d<\/p>\n This position gets broad support from Nordic countries, which traditionally favour open trade.<\/p>\n Sweden\u2019s outgoing deputy prime minister, Ebba Busch, who leads on business policy, said \u201cwe always miss the Brits\u201d. Sweden wanted \u201ca good solution where there is balance, given that some European countries are not members of the European Union but still completely essential for a functioning European market\u201d, she added.<\/p>\n The charged internal EU27 debate on Made in Europe raises questions about the timing of the EU-UK reset summit<\/a>, which was postponed when Keir Starmer stood down as prime minister<\/a>. Since Burnham took office, no date has been fixed for the talks which are meant to happen in 2026.<\/p>\n
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