European Commission takes action to open up international procurement markets

New tool aims at discouraging discrimination of EU companies in procurement markets of third countries.

The European Commission has today presented a revised proposal for an International Procurement Instrument - a tool to promote open access to public procurement markets around the world. While the EU is an open economy, many of the EU's major trading partners apply restrictive practices which discriminate against EU businesses. Closed procurement markets undermine competition and transparency, increase the costs of public goods and services for taxpayers and also increase the risk of corruption. Opening up non-EU markets for European companies would lead to public savings, creating a win-win situation for jobs and growth in the EU and the tender country in question.

Full press release

Proposal for an International Procurement Instrument