The COVID-19 pandemic and the tech wars waged by the US and China have led to new geo economic challenges for the EU. All of a sudden, the EU realised how much it depended on
others for its critical infrastructure. In particular, the semiconductor shortage during the
pandemic led to the realisation that the EU's economic security was not safeguarded enough. In
less than five years, the EU adopted various regulations related to economic security and critical
technologies, most notably the EU Chips Act, while in 2023, the EC published an initiative
under the name European Economic Security Strategy. However, little is known about the
implications of these policies and regulations and how the EU repositions itself in the global
pollical economy. This thesis investigates how EU policy documents and regulations are
shaping EU geo-economic strategies in relation to semiconductors as a critical technology. A
qualitative content analysis of these documents is selected as a means to identify these
strategies. The results suggest that the EU is developing into a defensive geo-economic actor.
The emerging geo-economic challenges are forcing the EU to defend itself against increasing
external coercion, and the EU aims to protect itself against these threats. This thesis contributes
to the ongoing debates concerning geo-economics and examines the role of the EU as a
developing geo-economic actor
