Benedetta Girardi | EE Times: Dutch Clampdown on Nexperia Puts Europe’s Chip Sovereignty Strategy to the Test
When the Dutch government invoked an emergency law in late September 2025 to take control of semiconductor maker Nexperia, it signaled a turning point in how Europe intends to defend its technological sovereignty. The action was justified as a matter of national security, but it is reverberating through the semiconductor supply chain—and the automotive industry, in particular, is feeling the tremors. According to HCSS Strategic Analyst Benedetta Girardi, the national-security dimension goes beyond supply continuity. “Governance failures were the formal explanation,” she told EE Times in an interview.
New Event | Hybrid Pressures, Strategic Responses: Small and Middle Powers in the Age of China’s Influence
HCSS is pleased to invite you to join the Symposium 'Hybrid Pressures, Strategic Responses: Small and Middle Powers in the Age of China's Influence' on 16 December 2025. This in-person event brings together European and Asian experts to examine China’s expanding use of hybrid tactics and their impact on small and middle powers. The event will explore how states are responding, how China’s activities differ from other hybrid threats, and where opportunities exist to strengthen Europe–Asia cooperation and resilience.
HCSS Draghi Revisited Report Series | Expert Commentary
One year after Mario Draghi’s landmark report, HCSS launches Draghi Revisited, the second edition of its Draghi Report Series. Despite rising political attention, Europe remains dependent in key defence, raw materials, cleantech and digital sectors, while global pressures intensify. Following the impact of their initial series, HCSS analysts Ron Stoop and Berend Kwak were invited to the European Commission’s conference marking the report's anniversary, and now return to assess how far Europe has advanced toward industrial, technological and economic sovereignty. This new edition revisits Draghi’s warnings sector by sector, reviewing the EU’s concrete steps over the past year.
