European Forum for Electronic Components and Systems (EFECS) 2025 held in Malta

European Forum for Electronic Components and Systems (EFECS) 2025 took place on 3-4 December in St Julian’s, Malta, bringing together Europe’s electronic components and systems (ECS) community.t

In the days preceding the Forum, on 1-2 December, Malta also hosted Board meetings of the Chips Joint Undertaking (JU), gathering its Governing Board and Public Authorities Board.

Accelerating Europe’s competitiveness in semiconductor technologies
Under the theme “Accelerate Innovation: Building European Competitiveness”, EFECS 2025 convened industry leaders, policymakers, researchers and public authorities to reflect on Europe’s strategic priorities across the semiconductor value chain.

The event highlighted the role of the Chips JU in driving research, innovation and capacity-building under the European Chips Act, while a dedicated exhibition area showcased EU-funded projects and industry–research collaborations, offering extensive opportunities for networking and consortium building.

This event showcased the strategic importance of semiconductor for Europe and attracted top level stakeholders. The Forum featured high-level ministerial representation, including an opening address by Robert Abela, Prime Minister of Malta, and Silvio Schembri, Minister for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects of Malta, thereby reflecting Malta’s growing strategic role in Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem and its strong national commitment to advanced manufacturing, skills and innovation in microelectronics.

The program also included an intervention by Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, and representatives of the European Commission, confirming European semiconductor policies as a key area of political attention.

This stakeholder event also comes at an important moment, right after the closure of the public consultation on the revision of the Chips Act (“Chips Act 2.0”).

Chips JU work program for 2026
During the Forum, the Chips Joint Undertaking also formally announced the partial adoption of its 2026 Work Program, agreed jointly by the European Commission, participating states and industry. 

The 2026 work program sets out the priorities, actions and funding opportunities for the coming year, including an EU contribution of EUR 179 million complemented by a commensurate national contribution from participating states.

EFECS 2025 was co-organised by the industry associations INSIDE, AENEAS, EPoSS and the Chips JU, ensuring broad representation from stakeholders active in materials and equipment through to components, systems and applications. The choice of Malta for hosting this year’s conference acknowledges the country’s growing importance in the European semiconductor landscape, supported by advanced manufacturing capabilities, a strong base of industrial players and an expanding skills and research ecosystem.