Have a look at this Wikipedia article – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_semiconductor_fabrication_plants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_semiconduct

Have a look at this Wikipedia article – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_semiconductor_fabrication_plants https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_semiconductor_fabricat... – and see that it lists semiconductor fabs in multiple EU countries – Germany, Italy, the UK (was in EU at the time), Ireland, France – opening in every decade from the 1950s through to the 2010s. The accuracy of your recollection seems open to question.