Inaugural lecture Prof. Dr. Sarah Schoenmaekers

"Made in Europe' and 'Buy European': From gentle branding to bold commanding?"

In her ‘State of the Union’ of September 2025 Ursula von der Leyen called for a more independent and resilient Europe. In her 2024 Political Guidelines she stressed that strategic technologies, such as AI, space and biotech should be ‘made in Europe’. A European preferencing system in procurement was put forward, so that not only EU production would be advanced, but EU consumption as well. 

‘Made in Europe’ and ‘Buy European’ policies do not only serve economic purposes. They also aim to strengthen Europe’s (economic) security. 

The inaugural lecture discusses how these policies take shape and whether the concrete initiatives that have already been taken should be extended to other sectors of the economy. 

The goal is to determine whether in the EU there is/should be an evolution from gentle branding to bold commanding when it comes to manufacturing and procuring products in the EU. 

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