Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné, in a written answer on 29 July 2026, pushed back against concerns that the EU Procurement Directive disproportionately burdens small operators, arguing that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) already win the majority of public contracts and that the Commission is committed to further simplification.
The answer came in response to a parliamentary question from Merja Kyllönen (The Left, Finland), who asked whether the Commission would clarify that public funding alone does not make an organisation subject to the directive, whether it sees a need to reduce administrative burdens for small operators, and what impact current rules have on competition.
Séjourné's reply was largely declarative rather than proposing new measures. He cited Article 2(4) of Directive 2014/24/EU to confirm that public funding alone does not subject an organisation to the directive, but offered no new clarification. On administrative burden, he stated the Commission is 'committed to simplifying public procurement in the context of the modernisation of its legislative framework' and that simplification is expected to further stimulate SME participation. He did not provide a timeline or specific proposals.
To support his position, Séjourné pointed to data showing that between 2017 and 2024, SMEs accounted for the majority of bidders and were awarded 71% of contracts, securing around 55% of the total value of procurement governed by the directives, estimated at EUR 616 billion per year. He acknowledged that competition has been decreasing in some public procurement markets but did not address whether the current rules disproportionately affect small operators or new entrants.
The answer signals a policy orientation favouring incremental simplification rather than a fundamental overhaul of the directive. Institutional follow-up is expected as part of the broader modernisation of the EU's public procurement framework, though no specific legislative proposal or deadline was announced.
SMEs benefit from the Commission's confirmation that public funding alone does not trigger procurement obligations, but the lack of concrete burden-reduction measures leaves their compliance costs unchanged. National authorities face continued complexity in interpreting the directive. Large firms and procurement consultants may see limited disruption, while new entrants and very small operators remain exposed to transaction costs that the answer did not quantify or address.