On 4 May, the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament agreed on their negotiating mandate for a regulation to combat foreign subsidies that distort competition in the EU.
By a large majority (627 votes in favour, 8 against and 11 abstentions) the European Parliament adopted the report by Christophe Hansen (EPP, Luxembourg) suggesting a broadening of the scope of the legislative proposal (see EUROPE 12938/15).
The Council, on the other hand, is seeking to make the future rules more flexible than the European Commission’s original proposal (see EUROPE 12711/9). The mandate adopted by the Member States is almost identical to the compromise text EUROPE detailed on 29 April (see EUROPE 12941/9).
The raising of thresholds by the Council regarding the turnover of the companies concerned and the value of public procurement contracts below which the Commission does not have to be notified of foreign subsidies received by the bidder of a tender is expected to be at the heart of the negotiations with MEPs.
The first interinstitutional negotiation meeting (‘trilogue’) will take place on Thursday 5 May. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)