Finance
UK minister warns 'made in Europe' plan could hit supply chains
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 19, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 19, 2026
Quick Summary
A UK minister warns the EU’s Made in Europe plan could disrupt UK‑EU supply chains via strict local-content rules. He urged cooperation to boost competitiveness, noting strong UK‑Spain investment links.
UK minister says EU Made in Europe plan may disrupt supply chains
By Victoria Waldersee
MADRID, Feb 19 (Reuters) - A British minister warned on Thursday that the European Union's "made in Europe" plan could impact supply chains and create unnecessary trade barriers between London and some EU member countries.
The comments from Nick Thomas-Symonds, Britain's minister for EU relations, come as the European Commission prepares to publish a law next week requiring a minimum share of products backed by public money in strategic sectors be manufactured within Europe.
"My concern is that if you had very strict preference requirements, you would risk impacting our deeply integrated supply chains that would create unnecessary barriers to trade in key UK-EU industries and increase costs," he said at an economic event in Madrid. "That would obviously affect UK-Spain supply chains."
Arguing that Britain and the EU share the same challenge to boost competitiveness and productivity, he said: "The UK is the fourth largest investor in Spain. We are not going to meet those challenges by causing unnecessary economic damage to each other."
Six years after formally exiting the EU, Britain - under Prime Minister Keir Starmer - is working to improve diplomatic and economic ties with the bloc, its largest trading partner.
Starmer has hinted at further alignment with the EU's single market, which allows goods, services, capital and people to move freely across member states.
The draft EU "made in Europe" plan defines Europe as the European Economic Area - the 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, but not Britain. It says, however, that other "trusted partners" could be added in future.
The initiative forms part of an EU drive to bolster domestic industries and reduce reliance on foreign suppliers in areas such as clean energy and advanced manufacturing in the face of competition from China and U.S.-driven uncertainty over tariffs.
(Reporting by Victoria Waldersee in Madrid; writing by Muvija M; editing by Philippa Fletcher)
Key Takeaways
- •UK minister Nick Thomas-Symonds cautions the EU’s Made in Europe plan could raise costs and create trade barriers.
- •Strict local-content preferences risk disrupting deeply integrated UK‑EU supply chains.
- •UK is the fourth-largest investor in Spain, and UK‑Spain supply chains could be affected.
- •The draft defines Europe as the EEA; the UK is excluded for now, with ‘trusted partners’ possibly added later.
- •The EU initiative aims to boost domestic industry amid China competition and tariff uncertainty from the U.S.
Frequently Asked Questions about UK minister warns 'made in Europe' plan could hit supply chains
1What is the main topic?
A UK minister warns that the EU’s Made in Europe plan could disrupt UK‑EU supply chains by imposing strict local-content preferences that raise costs and create new trade barriers.
2Why is the UK concerned about the plan?
London fears strict preference rules could hinder deeply integrated supply chains with EU partners, including Spain, increasing costs for key industries such as clean energy and advanced manufacturing.
3Does the plan include the UK?
The draft defines Europe as the EEA, which excludes the UK. It allows for adding ‘trusted partners’ later, but the UK is not currently included.
