European Union: European Commission opened consultation on revision of EU rules on public procurement

On 3 November 2025, the European Commission opened a consultation concerning the revision of EU rules on public procurement until 26 January 2026. The proposed reforms aim to address issues identified in a recent evaluation, including legal complexity, limited cross-border competition, and insufficient alignment with strategic EU priorities. The 2026 revision plans to integrate European preference criteria, particularly in strategic sectors, simplify and accelerate procurement procedures to reduce administrative burdens for public buyers and businesses, especially SMEs, and potentially introduce "Made in Europe" criteria, either voluntarily or mandatorily, to enhance economic security. The revisions also seek to improve governance through digitalisation, including a digital EU procurement marketplace to boost transparency and data sharing. The Commission is considering both legislative and non-legislative measures to achieve these goals.