France is leading efforts to exclude the UK from the EU's "Made in Europe" policy, a proposed law designed to protect European companies from Chinese competition by requiring public authorities to favour European products in renewable technologies and electric vehicles. This threatens British companies' ability to compete for contracts across Europe and has become a top priority for the UK government, with Andy Burnham raising the issue with EU leadership at the UN general assembly. The exclusion reflects France's position that only EU27 members should benefit from taxpayer-funded protection, following the UK's departure from the bloc.

Internal EU divisions complicate negotiations over the policy's scope. Whilst France pushes for a narrow definition limited to EU27 countries, Germany and Nordic nations support a broader "Made with Europe" approach that would include the UK and other allied nations, arguing that isolating trading partners would damage the European market. The UK government expects an EU-UK reset summit in November 2026 to address trade issues, but EU officials caution that the bloc must settle its own position first, and December budget negotiations will likely consume political attention before a Made in Europe agreement can be finalised.