There is no real appetite in the Council for revising European legislation on the award of public procurement contracts, with member states preferring that rules revised in 2014 and applicable for only a year be applied.
That is the outcome of a discussion on public procurement in national socio-economic policies at the Competitiveness Council on Monday 20 February.
During the ministerial debate, several delegations, such as those of Germany, France and Finland, underlined the importance of fully applying the public procurement directives (traditional public procurement contracts, specific sectors) revised in 2014 and the directive on concessions (see EUROPE 11017).
Other countries highlighted the importance of: - cutting the red tape associated with the award of public contracts (Denmark); - making public servants involved in the award of public contracts more professional; - making it easier for SMEs to tender for public contracts; - encouraging online public procurement (Estonia, Portugal).
Referring to the uncertainty of the international economic situation, it not yet being clear what stance the Trump administration will adopt, France laid great emphasis on reciprocity of access to third country public contracts, echoing the email, signed jointly with Germany and Italy, that it recently sent to the European Commission (see EUROPE 11726). “I reiterated France’s desire that there be a specific approach, notably on reciprocity which is a crucial issue”, said French Secretary of State with responsibility for Industry, Christophe Sirugue.
Commission initiative in autumn. The European Commission called on those states which have not yet done so to transpose the 2016 directives that have been applicable since 2016 into national law as a matter of urgency. These extend paperless public procurement to the end of 2018. In January, the Commission urged 15 member states (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden) to transpose at least one of the three 2014 directives.
Internal Market Commissioner Elzbieta Bienkowska even spoke of a specific package being presented in the autumn. The Commission has yet (on Tuesday afternoon) to respond to our request for further information on this announcement. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)