Tag: European Commission

EU-Mercosur Agreement in Principle: Procurement

On June 28, the European Union and the four founding members of Mercosur, a South American bloc, reached an agreement in principle on a new trade arrangement. It is the largest trade agreement that the EU has concluded. The European Commission

TTIP Procurement Data Debate: Time to Conclude?

This week, the United States and the European Union embark on their latest round of negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), where on government procurement they remain far apart. One of the ongoing points of contention is

EU: Penalizing Closed Procurement Markets

On January 29th, the European Commission, the executive body of the European Union, proposed a new tool that would allow it to penalize countries that apply restrictive procurement practices that discriminate against EU businesses. With the new regulation,

EU Enlargement: Key to Expanding the GPA

The enlargement of the European Union has been the major contributor to the expansion of the membership in the GPA. On May 1, 2014, the European Union (EU) marked the 10th anniversary of its 2004 enlargement in which it added 10 new member states (Cyprus,

Can U.S. Offer Comprehensive Coverage of States in TTIP?

The U.S. lacks the mechanism for comprehensive sub-federal coverage in TTIP. As noted in an earlier posting, one of top priorities of the European Union’s (EU) in the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations is expansion

TTIP and “Buy America” Requirements

EU business seeks removal of “buy America” requirements in TTIP negotiations. BUSINESSEUROPE, a leading business organization in the European Union (EU), cited removal of U.S. domestic preferences as one of its primary goals in the procurement

Anti-corruption Provisions for Procurement in TTIP

The TTIP Procurement Chapter should incorporate strong anti-corruption provisions. A new European Commission report, which examined corruption in the European Union (EU), concluded that public procurement in the Member States is particularly prone to

US and EU’s Procurement Objectives in TTIP Negotiations

Despite a common interest in expanded access to procurement in the TTIP negotiations, the EU has identified more specific objectives. The United States and the European Union (EU) began negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)