Supply bottlenecks as a result of the COVID-19 crisis have fueled the discussion in the EU about greater economic autonomy and reshoring of value chains. Under the guiding principle of "strategic autonomy," there is a push at the EU level to produce certain goods considered important within the bloc, so that they are available regardless of international crises. However, such a decoupling of the EU from international or even only Chinese supply chains would cost EU member states hundreds of billions of euros, as simulation calculations by the Kiel Institute now show.