Wirtschaftspolitik: Weniger China, mehr Europa – EU regelt öffentliche Aufträge

The European Commission is granting member states and local authorities more freedom regarding public procurement. They will be able to decide whether to exclude Chinese bidders from public contracts by considering criteria beyond price, such as whether the contract creates added value in Europe. A "Preis-Qualitäts-Verhältnis" (price-quality ratio) will be introduced, with quality criteria accounting for 30% of the evaluation.

This criterion could include "made in Europe," giving European suppliers an advantage. The EU has also proposed the "Industrial Accelerator Act" (IAA) to protect domestic industries from subsidized Chinese imports, particularly in the automotive sector. The EU wants to prioritize spending public funds on products made in Europe.

The new public procurement law aims to allow member states and local authorities to preferentially favor European companies over foreign bidders who do not grant reciprocal access to their own public contracts. This regulation is not intended to restrict or prohibit, but to create opportunities for action. Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné describes it as "certainly the end of pure price competition," envisioning public procurement decisions as an active choice for local politicians.

The responsibility for procurement decisions will shift to local politics. The proposal is seen as a step towards less EU bureaucracy, consolidating numerous regulations into a few hundred pages. It also aims to make public procurement more transparent, introducing a new data system to prevent corruption and fraud. The industry welcomes the proposal, believing it could be a real opportunity for the medium-sized industrial sector.

However, EU Vice-President Katarina Barley warns against viewing public procurement as a "holy grail for industrial policy rescue," emphasizing the need for strategic procurement, quality, and European added value, rather than new protectionism.