Riccardo Bosticco PhD Researcher at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) Riccardo Bosticco is a PhD Researcher at the Centre for Security, Diplomacy and Strategy (CSDS) of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). He is also a Junior Academic Fellow at the European Policy Centre and a NextGen Associate Fellow at the NATO Defence College. His research focuses on international political economy, technology policy, and innovation studies. He previously researched energy security and governance at the Istituto Affari Internazionali and Maastricht University, interned at the European Commission, and worked on technology policy at the European Policy Centre.PublicationsPolicy PaperDecember 2025Autonomy or Indispensability? Identifying the EU’s Semiconductor LodestarEurope’s semiconductor supply chains face rising geopolitical risks, from Chinese pressure to U.S. export threats and East Asian conflict scenarios. This policy paper argues Europe must choose between autonomy and indispensability. Full autonomy is unrealistic; pure dependence is dangerous. The authors conclude that Europe’s best path is “Allied Autonomy, European Indispensability”: securing strategic choke points, embedding them in trusted partnerships, and strengthening resilience through targeted policy actions.