By Foo Yun Chee
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission will assess the risks of four critical technologies, including semiconductors and artificial intelligence, being weaponised by countries not aligned with its values and will take measures next year to tackle the issue, an EU official said on Monday.
The move by the EU executive is part of the European Union’s economic security strategy announced in June and echoes similar measures taken by the United States, Australia and other countries concerned about China’s increasingly assertive role.
The other two critical technologies on the EU list are quantum technologies and biotechnologies such as vaccines and genome sequencing.
“The Commission will do risk assessments of these four technologies with member states. The deadline is by the end of the year. The next step is to mitigate the risks next year,” the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Possible measures could include export controls and partnering with like-minded allies.
Commission Vice President Vera Jourova and EU industry chief Thierry Breton will hold a press conference on the issue at 1330 GMT on Tuesday.
The European Union has in recent years sought to reduce its dependence on China and other countries for key products following supply chain disruptions triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine that set off an energy crisis in the bloc.
(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Richard Chang)
