Trump's upgrade of US-led AI alliance runs into European resistance

Published on 12 November 2026 - 10:48 GMT+1 The US is facing resistance from the EU over plans to expand its global AI initiative, Pax Silica, into a broader economic security framework aimed at protecting American technological leadership. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT The latest draft of a US declaration, discussed by EU ambassadors on Wednesday and seen by Euronews, states that “economic security is fundamental to national security, and that no nation can be secure without securing its critical systems and technologies from those that would do it harm.” Washington wants members of Pax Silica, a US-led coalition designed to secure supply chains for AI, semiconductors and critical minerals, to endorse the declaration at a ceremony in San Francisco on Sunday. The EU joined the initiative in June despite reservations from France, after several member states had already signed up individually. But Washington's latest proposals have revived divisions within the bloc. The declaration calls for a “common understanding” on protecting sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure by diversifying supply chains and coordinating responses to economic coercion. It goes further, arguing that “durable economic security among trusted partners rests not on professions of friendship alone, but on the vigilant protection of the foundations on which our economies depend and on the active promotion of shared innovation and technological leadership.” The concerns are rooted partly in Washington's previous attempts to restrict access to advanced AI technology. In 2025, the Biden administration introduced export controls under its AI Diffusion Framework that would have limited access to the most advanced AI chips for several EU countries. The Trump administration scrapped the measures shortly before they were due to take effect, but they would have created serious problems for the EU's single market, which is built on the free movement of goods. The restrictions were also seen as a signal that Washington did not consider some EU countries sufficiently aligned with its approach to China. The US has sought to curb China's growing technological capabilities by preventing Chinese companies from accessing the most advanced AI chips, largely designed by American firms such as Nvidia. One sticking point in the latest declaration is its broad definition of sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure. Some EU member states are demanding objective criteria, fearing that the current wording would give Washington considerable discretion to impose restrictions and pressure its allies to follow suit. Another dispute centres on terminology. Trump is pushing the concept of superintelligence, while the European Commission has proposed an explanatory note clarifying that the EU understands the term to mean artificial intelligence. For Brussels, this is more than a semantic distinction. It is a question of legal certainty, given that AI is already defined in key EU legislation, notably the Artificial Intelligence Act. Washington has long opposed the AI Act and is now proposing a Pax Silica working group to explore innovation-friendly regulatory approaches. On Wednesday, EU governments gave the Commission a mandate to represent the bloc and negotiate the content of the declaration with the US. But the Commission might not receive a mandate to sign it in time for the San Francisco ceremony. “We affirm that the safeguarding of these sensitive technologies and critical infrastructure is a shared endeavour; that the security of each signatory is strengthened by the vigilance of all; and that we engage in this common cause as trusted partners,” the text concludes.