On 9 September 2026, the European Commission (the “Commission”) presented its proposal for a new Public Procurement Act, a significant reform of the EU public procurement framework, which was last comprehensively overhauled in 2014. The proposal would repeal the three existing procurement directives (Directives 2014/23/EU, 2014/24/EU and 2014/25/EU) and replace them with a single Regulation which, if adopted, would apply directly in all Member States. 

The proposed reform, part of the Commission’s broader competitiveness and simplification agenda, seeks to harness the substantial purchasing power of EU public authorities to support the EU’s strategic interests. Public procurement represents around 15% of EU GDP annually, making it a powerful lever for strengthening European competitiveness, economic security, resilience and strategic autonomy.

Two major features of the proposed new framework are the introduction of what is called “European preference” (for economic operators, goods and services from the EU and from “covered” third countries) and a shift away from awarding contracts on price alone, towards greater emphasis on quality criteria that capture environmental, social and resilience considerations. Elevating the use of quality and non-price criteria may in practice also indirectly favour European or “covered” suppliers.