BRUSSELS, Nov 23 Reuters EU countries on Wednesday agreed to a 45billioneuro 46.6 billion plan to fund the production of chips, putting the 27country bloc a step closer to its goal of reducing its reliance on U.S. and Asian manufacturers.

EU envoys unanimously backed an amended version of the European Commission39;s proposal, the Czech Republic which holds the rotating EU presidency said.

European Union ministers will meet on Dec. 1 to rubber stamp the chip plan that will still need to be debated with the European Parliament next year before it can become law.

The EU executive, which is hoping state subsidies will help the bloc achieve a 20 share of global chip capacity by 2030, came up with its proposal after a global chip shortage and supply chain bottlenecks hit car makers, healthcare providers and telecoms operators.

Europe39;s share of chip production stands at 8, down from 24 in 2000.

Changes agreed by the envoys to the Commission39;s proposal included allowing state subsidies for a broader range of chips and not just the most advanced ones. The subsidies will cover chips that bring innovation in computing power, energy efficiency, environmental gains and artificial intelligence.

EU countries also sought to curb the powers of the Commission, the EU executive, saying its requests to companies for information during a crisis must be proportionate and securityfocused, an EU document seen by Reuters showed.

EU lawmakers still face the task of thrashing out…