ASML boss calls for European pushback against US

Christophe Fouquet has appealed to European policymakers to become more assertive. Europe must “decide for itself what it wants” and “shouldn’t be dictated by anyone else,” the ASML CEO told the Economist. If Europe’s champions don’t get the support they need, they may leave, he added.

Fouquet has been more outspoken on the US-instigated export bans his firm has to contend with than his predecessor, Peter Wennink. He called them out as “economically motivated” at an investor conference last year. Like Wennink, Fouquet also cautions against tampering with the well-oiled global semiconductor ecosystem, which could disrupt supply, raise cost and hinder innovation.

As for leaving Europe, that has never been a realistic option for a firm with a vast European supply chain. Additionally, after successfully pressuring Dutch authorities into a major support package, ASML has all but committed to expanding in the Eindhoven region. “The likelihood that we stay is extremely high,” Fouquet recently said in Dutch political TV program Buitenhof.