In a written answer on 22 July 2026, Executive Vice-President Stéphane Séjourné defended the Commission's handling of the first remedy procedure under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), confirming that the replacement of Chinese supplier CRRC by Polish manufacturer PESA in the Lisbon metro procurement followed a preliminary review of alternative subcontractors. The answer, responding to a question from MEP Tomáš Zdechovský (PPE), clarifies that the consortium led by Mota-Engil negotiated with several potential subcontractors, but the precise number remains confidential. Séjourné stated that the Commission could confirm PESA had not received foreign subsidies, without prejudging the status of other candidates. The decision did not require the appointment of PESA specifically, but accepted the consortium's commitment to replace CRRC with an FSR-compliant supplier; the contracting entity, Metropolitano de Lisboa, will assess whether the bid meets technical and quality requirements. The non-confidential version of the decision will be published on the Commission's FSR website as soon as possible. The answer provides no numerical targets or deadlines, but signals that future remedy procedures will follow a case-by-case assessment based on information submitted by the undertaking. The Commission's approach balances enforcement of subsidy rules with procedural flexibility, impacting EU-based rolling-stock manufacturers like PESA, Chinese suppliers such as CRRC, contracting authorities, and the consortium's procurement process.
Source✉ Open answer ↗
Asked byTomáš Zdechovský (PPE)