"With this reform, we are cutting red tape, giving public buyers more flexibility and making it easier for our small businesses to compete in the internal market," Industry Commissioner Stéphane Séjourné says in a press release about Wednesday's proposal.
The idea is not least to place greater focus on the quality of the goods or services to be procured publicly. In addition to the price itself, purchasers should be able to take into account environmental requirements, safety and social conditions to a greater extent.
A "European preference" is also being considered - where procurement from countries outside the EU that do not give EU companies equivalent access to their markets could be stopped.
