Feb 12, 2026
3 min read
France is trying to promote European priorities in various areas, such as public tenders, but there are significant divisions within both countries and the European Commission.
'Buy Europe', yes or no, that is the question: the EU is immersed in a very French debate
France tries to promote European interests in various areas such as public tenders, but there are many differences between countries and within the European Commission.
As the heads of state and government of the European Union meet this Thursday at the Alden Biesen Castle to openly discuss the problem of the competitiveness of the European economy, several issues have come up in the meeting: economic tensions, the demand of the Germans to simplify politics more and more, or the recent new promotion of the idea of Europe at different speeds within the six major community groups and economies that require faster from an economic point of view.But last but not least, the results that are on the table will be the so-called "European" demand clauses, or more simply "buy Europe".
This idea is an absolute priority for France.It was so important to Paris that he was willing to do something that a Frenchman living in the European Union would never do, obsessed with keeping his language up-to-date:give the formula an English name to make it more attractive.In short, the idea is that European money, whether public or even private, should go mostly to European goods.In any field.debates over increased defense investment, public tenders or the revival of industrial policy.
Neither the member states nor the European Commission agree on this issue.Stéphane Séjourné, vice-president of the institute in France, is a great defender of this clause in the College of Commissioners.1,000 which supports the document.
It is about the collision of two great European economic traditions.Protectionist, more focused on achieving independence on critical issues, even if it is a price to pay, especially embodied in France, and the tradition of free trade and openness, represented by a group of countries in the arc of northern Europe, from the Netherlands to the Baltic, territories that have always looked outward for prosperity.
Traditionally, the economic ethos of the European Union has been inherited from these Nordic trading countries rather than the more protectionist French strategy, but it has had a significant influence on other areas of the Union, such as agricultural policy.
Indeed, in a consultation published last week by Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands and Sweden, the Nordic member club criticized that the idea of introducing the concept of "European preference" could "add another layer of complex regulation".
"The widespread application of European elections threatens to destroy our simplification efforts, which makes it difficult for companies to access modern technologies around the world, hinders other markets and investments away from the EU," said the six member states, "direct and strong measures" to strengthen European freedom ", but these should be "limited" and "partial".
For France and its allies, such thinking is naive.European industry faces China's trade practices and tariffs not only from its traditional partner America, but also because of the way European industry is discriminated against by schemes such as the Anti-Inflation Act (IRA).The big question is where Germany stands, traditionally opposed to such proposals, but this time Friedrich's cabinet is more hesitant about its position with the split on the merger, while the Social Democrats (SPD) support the idea, while Economy Minister Katharina Reiche of the Christian Democrats (CDU) opposes it.
For many, the key is not whether there is a preference for Europe, but rather what that preference is.Mario Draghi, in his report on European competition published in 2024, spoke of Europe's limited preference in areas like defense.Séjourné, for example, clearly focuses on the automotive sector, where many companies oppose the proposal of the executive vice-president, who wants added value to be produced on the ground and that there be technology transfers.
As we look forward to informal leaders' meetings, senior European sources are optimistic."Think about the past, if you had this problem a year or two ago, I don't think it would have had this level of consensus," he explained, pointing out that there was no consensus that it should be a European option, but at least it was worth having a debate.- I don't think it will hijack the debate.(...) There are different perspectives on the problem, he said."What we have seen is that perhaps all the member countries are willing to talk about it. What many say is that we should talk about it, but that cannot be applied to everything, that we have to look at it sector by sector, industry by industry," he added.
The limits of 'buying Europe'
In a discussion paper published on Tuesday led by Ignacio García Bercero, Spain's former EU representative, Bruegel, a leading economic think tank in Brussels, noted that the demands in Europe "will increase the costs of export-oriented industries, slow down the country's industrial transformation and ultimately enable the transition to clean energy."
"Europe's clean value chain has already benefited from foreign experience," the think tank emphasized.For example, Korean companies have built five-fifths of the EU's battery production capacity, helping European automakers to invest in electric vehicles."
García Barcero and the rest of the analysts believe that there are other methods to protect European industry, such as scanning foreign investments (FDI), which are in fact being reviewed."An investment authorization can be linked to the determination that such an investment will have a material positive impact on the economy of the European Union and there are effective remedies to address economic security risks. In this way, strict requirements regarding joint ventures, technology transfer or local content can be avoided, while leaving room for negotiation with the investor concerned," they said.As mentioned in the document.
The European Commission has included elements of European requirements in its latest military initiatives.They were therefore an important component of the €150,000 million SAFE fund for beneficial credits to member states, and he tried to prioritize spending on European military industry under the €60,000 million budget.
When the heads of state and government of the European Union meet this Thursday at Alden Biessen Castle for an open debate on the competitiveness of the European economy, the meeting will be the subject of several issues: geo-economic tensions, the German request to deepen the regulatory simplification agenda or the recent new push for the idea of a diversified fast community in Europe. Accelerating the integration of their financial markets and other areas of competition, but a small issue not on the table is the so-called"European interest clause" or more simply, 'Buy Europe'.
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