Public procurements will no longer mean public predicaments for SMEs
Today the Commission is reopening the EU rules on public procurements — the rules governing the process by which government departments or local authorities purchase work, goods or services from companies.
Jeannette Baljeu (Netherlands/VVD), our MEP responsible for the file in the internal market committee says :
“This revision is no trivia. Public procurement accounts for around 15% of the EU’s total wealth. Tweaked the right way, they are a powerful tool to drive investment and deliver on political objectives, such as boosting innovation and competitiveness.”
Jeannette BaljeuRenew Europe MEP, Netherlands, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie
European preference
Price has all too often dominated procurement decisions. This is about to change. The new rules will strengthen the quality dimension. The proposal gives public authorities, for the first time, a common EU toolbox to favour European suppliers in targeted strategic sectors. In addition, the proposal supports the development of criteria to boost European competitiveness in green and digital lead markets.
Simplification
Another objective of the reform, less talked about, will be close to Renew’s heart. It is the drive to simplify rules to join public procurements. A study made in five EU member states showed that a bit under half of small businesses were not participating to public procurements. A quarter of them have no intention to do so and the majority of those cite complexity as the biggest deterrent.
MEP Jeannette Baljeu concludes :
”Public procurements shouldn’t mean public predicaments for SMEs. All entrepreneurs must be encouraged to participate. Renew will make sure rules are simpler in the future”.
Jeannette BaljeuRenew Europe MEP, Netherlands, Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie