The international procurement landscape is changing as countries and economies respond more proactively to protectionism in their counterparts’ markets by adopting domestic preferences and reciprocal measures. Trading partners that have long criticized the use of ‘buy local’ policies, especially by the United States and China, are reversing course as they adopt—or prepare to adopt—their own […]
The European Commission has – for the first time – adopted a final decision in an investigation of foreign subsidies in an EU public procurement under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR). In its investigation of the awarding of a contract for the construction and design of the ‘Violet’ metro line in Lisbon, Portugal, the commission determined that a Chinese subcontractor […]
On March 4, the European Commission introduced ‘Made in EU’ and low-carbon requirements for public procurement in a proposed new regulation, the Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA), with the aim of increasing demand for low-carbon, European-made technologies and products. It focuses on energy intensive industries, namely steel, cement, and aluminum, as well as the automotive value chain and net-zero […]
The European Commission published Guidelines on its enforcement of the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR) on January 9, 2026. They apply to foreign subsidies that distort the internal market in public procurement and mergers and acquisitions within the European Union (EU). The Guidelines clarified three key concepts: (i) how the Commission analyzes market distortions caused by subsidies from third countries; (ii) how […]