In a letter sent to the European Parliament on Wednesday 29 July and seen by Agence Europe, the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jozef Síkela, confirmed that the Commission intended to strengthen the strategic dimension of public procurement financed by the EU in third countries.
Referring in particular to the €320 million call for tenders launched by Senegal and co-financed by the EU for the acquisition of natural gas buses in Dakar, Senegal, MEPs questioned the possible award of the contract to the Chinese state-owned manufacturer CRRC.
Mr Síkela states that the procedure is still under way and that the European Investment Bank (EIB), one of the project’s funders, is checking compliance with its procurement rules. The Commissioner confirms that the exclusion of state-back firms is part of the eligibility criteria and is currently being scrutinised.
In addition, Mr Síkela recalls that the European Commission’s proposal for the next ‘Global Europe’ instrument (see EUROPE 13889/3) proposes to establish a broader legal basis for restricting or extending EU eligibility rules across all award procedures.
These restrictions could in particular be based on EU sanctions, situations of economic coercion, the absence of reciprocity in access to public procurement or other strategic interests of the Union. “‘High-risk suppliers” would, in principle, be subject to restrictions on security grounds.
“These changes reflect the need to provide for a broader legal basis to adjust eligibility rules in line with the EU’s interests”, notes Mr Síkela.
To see the European Commissioner’s reply: https://aeur.eu/f/n34 (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)