France backs UK entry into Made in Europe car rules, conditional on China tariffs
France has dropped its opposition to including the UK in the EU’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act for automotive manufacturing, according to the Guardian. A Franco-German proposal would let the UK and Norway opt in if they accept reciprocal conditions, including alignment with EU trade-defence measures such as tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles. The proposal is not final, and the UK government has yet to commit to alignment.
Bottom line — The Franco-German proposal makes UK access to the car-industry scheme conditional on accepting EU trade rules on China.
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The Guardian reports that Germany had already supported UK inclusion; France’s shift brings the two countries behind an automotive-sector opt-in.
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The joint paper would require opt-in countries to align dynamically with EU conditions on third-country investment and relevant trade-defence measures, the Guardian reports.
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UK business secretary Jonathan Reynolds had said he would not be coerced into adopting the EU’s policy on Chinese vehicle tariffs, according to the Guardian.
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The UK government said it had not yet seen the proposal’s detail and noted that the European process remained ongoing, the Guardian reports.
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The European Parliament’s legislative schedule lists the Industrial Accelerator Act as a proposal to increase manufacturing’s share of EU GDP to 20% by 2035, from 14.3% in 2024.
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The Parliament’s joint committees were scheduled to vote on the file on 1 December 2026, with a plenary vote planned for the week of 14 December, subject to confirmation.