The European Commission released a new communication, guiding the participation of third country bidders and goods in the EU procurement market. The document aims to foment competition in public tenders and provide information to public buyers in Member States. The document advises on quality standards, how to assess abnormally low-priced offers and compliance with social and environmental obligations.
The EU’s open procurement market is the largest in the world, with an estimated value of €2 trillion yearly. However, many EU trading partners apply restrictive practices in their markets against EU companies; with more than half of the worldwide procurement market (totalling €8 trillion), closed to European businesses. These restrictions affect competitive EU sectors such as construction, transport, medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The Commission’s recent communication coupled with the sustained asymmetric market access has reignited the call for the adoption of the International Procurement Instrument (IPI) before the end of 2019.
The Commission is expected to call on the Parliament and Council to approve the IPI by 2020. The IPI will promote reciprocity, tackle protectionism and open up procurement opportunities for EU companies in third countries.