Overview
- France and Germany have submitted a joint non‑paper asking the European Commission for an expedited instrument that can restrict access to the EU single market and exclude companies or sectors as a response to alleged unfair trade practices.
- The plan flips current procedure so Commission decisions would stand by default and require a qualified majority to be overturned, which backers say would allow measures to be enacted within days rather than weeks or months.
- Industry groups from the auto, machine‑building, aerospace and renewables sectors are pressing for stronger tools, saying existing anti‑dumping and anti‑subsidy procedures are too slow to stop market distortions.
- Brussels officials and analysts warn the measure could trigger targeted Chinese retaliation such as export curbs on rare earths and permanent magnets, so the proposal calls for contingency planning and an EU‑wide assessment of member states' exposure.
- The joint letter asks that the idea be discussed at the upcoming European Council summit and that the Commission be tasked to draft the concrete legal mechanism and provide extra staff and resources to execute it; the move marks a notable policy shift for Germany and seeks to reduce strategic dependencies built up over years of trade with China.