EU to overhaul public procurement rules to boost European industry

European Commissioner for Industry Stephane Sejourne announced that the EU will present a reform of public procurement procedures in September. The new rules will shift about 30% of award criteria away from price toward innovation, European preference, resilience, decarbonisation and social clauses.

The reform targets the €2 trillion market that represents roughly 15 % of the EU’s GDP, aiming to protect EU production from what Sejourne describes as “unfair competition from China and the United States”. He said the changes will “re‑orient billions of euros” toward European firms.

Specific measures include mandatory EU content for publicly funded vehicles – at least 70 % of components must be made in Europe – and similar requirements for solar panels and nuclear reactors. Sejourne warned that without action the share of European components in cars could fall from around 75 % to 40‑50 % by 2030‑35, and vehicle output could drop from 12 million to 8‑9 million units.