Made in Europe’ and ‘Buy European’

In her ‘State of the Union’ of September 2025 Ursula von der Leyen called for a more independent and resilient Europe. In her 2024 Political Guidelines she stressed that

strategic technologies, such as AI, space and biotech should be ‘made in Europe’. A European preferencing system in procurement was put forward, so that not only EU production would be advanced, but consumption of EU works, supplies and services as well.

‘Made in Europe’ and ‘Buy European’ policies do not only serve economic purposes. They also aim to strengthen Europe’s (economic) security.

This inaugural lecture discusses how these policies take shape and whether the concrete initiatives that have already been taken should be extended to other sectors of the economy. The goal is to determine whether and to what extent we are witnessing an evolution from gentle branding to bold commanding when it comes to the production and procurement of goods and services in the EU.