European Union – France applauds the European Union’s adoption of the International Procurement Instrument (23 Jun. 2022)

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Franck Riester, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, is traveling to Brussels on Thursday, June 23, to sign the International Procurement Instrument (IPI) on behalf of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union. At a time when under half of the world’s public procurement markets are currently open to European companies, the adoption of the new European instrument sends a strong message regarding the EU’s determination to ensure that our companies have access to opportunities and to guarantee trade reciprocity and fair competition conditions for them.

Ten years after the Commission’s first proposal, the adoption of this European act is turning one of the top priorities of the French presidency of the EU into a reality. Thanks to this new instrument, the European Union will be able to take measures to restrict foreign companies’ access to European public procurement markets in instances when European companies do not enjoy the same degree of access to foreign public procurement markets. In addition, the instrument reinforces the obligation to consider environmental, social and labor requirements when judging bids.