Nick Thomas-Symonds, the UK minister for EU relations, said strict requirements could create “unnecessary barriers to trade”, pointing to UK–Spain commercial links as an example of how integrated supply chains could be affected. His comments come as the Starmer government pursues a broader post-Brexit reset with Brussels.
The planned measures are expected to be part of the Commission’s forthcoming Industrial Accelerator Act, which may set European-content thresholds for strategic sectors including clean technologies and batteries, alongside defence and artificial intelligence. European Council president António Costa has described the initiative as a “Buy European” policy aimed at reducing supply dependencies amid geopolitical uncertainty.
Reuters reported the Commission delayed publication by one week due to disagreements over how narrowly to define eligible sourcing, as several member states raised concerns that overly restrictive local-content rules could deter investment.
Draft proposals do not currently include the UK, although the EU has indicated that “trusted partners” could be added later. For transport and logistics operators, the impact is likely to come less from new border formalities than from procurement rules shaping supply chains for fleet electrification, depot charging and key components — potentially affecting costs, lead times and tender eligibility.
