Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela, in a written answer on 29 July 2026, outlined plans to tighten procurement rules for EU-funded projects in third countries, responding to concerns that Chinese state-owned enterprises are winning contracts under the Global Gateway initiative. The answer signals a shift toward broader legal powers to exclude high-risk suppliers, directly impacting European companies competing for infrastructure contracts and Chinese firms seeking EU-funded projects.
The answer was given to a question by Mariusz Kamiński (ECR), who warned that Chinese companies, heavily subsidised by Beijing, are crowding out European bidders in key projects such as a natural gas bus tender in Dakar, Senegal. Síkela noted that the Dakar tender is still under European Investment Bank assessment, with exclusion of state-backed firms already part of eligibility criteria. He pointed to the upcoming Multiannual Financial Framework proposal for a new Global Europe Regulation, which would establish a broader legal basis to restrict or extend EU eligibility rules across all award procedures. Grounds for exclusion would include EU restrictive measures, economic coercion, lack of reciprocity under the International Procurement Instrument, and other EU strategic interests. As a rule, eligibility restrictions would apply to 'high-risk suppliers' for security reasons.
The Commission also supports strategic procurement that promotes price and quality criteria, strengthens environmental, social and governance standards, and adopts a more strategic approach to project preparation and selection. The answer reiterates commitments made in earlier replies (June and September 2025) and references the existing Foreign Subsidies Regulation, which already applies within the EU but not to EU-funded projects abroad. The proposed changes aim to close that gap, giving the Commission faster tools to adjust eligibility rules in line with EU interests. Institutional follow-up is expected as the legislative process for the next Multiannual Financial Framework advances, with the Commission signalling a more assertive stance on protecting European economic operators in third-country markets.