Tag: European Commission

Biden’s Made in America Order

On January 25, President Biden issued his first Made in America order, aimed at maximizing the use of goods, products and materials produced in, and services offered in, the United States in federal financial assistance awards and federal procurement. It

Mini-Trade Deals with EU and Brazil

President Trump’s preference for bilateral trade agreements, expressed when he pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2017, has borne modest results: one comprehensive agreement and several limited trade deals. He recently

EU Plans to Tackle Foreign Subsidies in Public Procurement

On June 17, the European Commission proposed new legal instruments to address distortions caused by foreign subsidies. One is a general market security instrument; a second focuses on foreign subsidies that facilitate the acquisition of EU companies and the

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