Following the European Commission’s presentation of the Public Procurement Act proposal, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe) issued the following statement.
The following should be attributed to CCIA Europe’s Technology and Security Policy Manager, Mitchell Rutledge:
“Public procurement rules should give European authorities access to the best technologies at the best value, regardless of where a trusted supplier is headquartered. Restricting the participation of established global cloud, software, and AI providers in public tenders would ultimately mean less choice, higher costs for taxpayers, and a slower pace of digitalisation.”
“The EU should set objective, proportionate requirements that allow trusted suppliers to compete on clear and consistent terms, without introducing derogations based primarily on a supplier’s passport or market position.”
“Europe has consistently championed open, rules-based trade. Procurement rules that allow authorities to exclude suppliers from close trading partners based on their country of origin or market position would represent a significant shift away from that approach.”
“Any proposal should also be carefully considered against the EU’s commitments under the WTO’s core international agreements, as well as the Union’s bilateral free trade agreements with other jurisdictions.”
“Today’s proposal risks creating significant gaps in the EU’s commitments to its closest international partners, while allowing authorities to pick and choose tender winners.”
