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The remarks from ASML’s senior executive Frank Heemskerk came after CEO Christophe Fouquet had a two-hour meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Founded in 1984, according to the Dutch company’s website, “ASML is an innovation leader in the semiconductor industry”. (Image: AP/File)
A senior executive from Dutch tech giant ASML came down heavily on European Union leaders for being inaccessible to European companies.
The remarks from ASML’s senior executive Frank Heemskerk came after ASML’s CEO Christophe Fouquet had a two-hour meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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“After an hour and a half of listening, he [Modi] said you’re too friendly, tell me what we can do better,” said Heemskerk, who is the executive vice president of global public affairs at ASML.
He said European leaders would do well to take note of Modi’s communications strategy. “The political leaders should sit down with the companies that are investing money,” he told Politico during the ‘Competitive Europe’ summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday (October 1).
The senior executive said it is not always easy to communicate with top European policymakers such as President Ursula von der Leyen.
“It’s not always easy. It’s easier to get a meeting in the White House with a senior official than to get a meeting with a commissioner,” he said, quoting a previous company executive.
Heemskerk further spoke about ASML’s deal of 1.3 billion euros with French artificial intelligence company Mistral.
“Of course it’s easier that it’s a European company, it is easier to understand each other,” he was quoted. “But the reason the two companies are teaming up is because of the focus of Mistral on industrial AI. It’s much more an industrial AI focus than anything around geopolitics.”
Founded in 1984, according to the Dutch company’s website, “ASML is an innovation leader in the semiconductor industry”.
“We provide chipmakers with everything they need – hardware, software and services – to mass produce patterns on silicon through lithography,” the website stated.
India’s semiconductor journey reached a milestone early last month as the first set of Made-in-India chips from a pilot line was presented to Modi by Union Minister of Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw.
The ‘India Semiconductor Mission’ was approved by the Union Cabinet in December 2021. With an outlay of Rs 76,000 crore, the programme aims to provide financial support for investments in semiconductor fabrication, display manufacturing and chip design to strengthen India’s integration into global electronics value chains.
(With ANI inputs)
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The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d…Read More
The News Desk is a team of passionate editors and writers who break and analyse the most important events unfolding in India and abroad. From live updates to exclusive reports to in-depth explainers, the Desk d… Read More
October 02, 2025, 23:23 IST
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