- “As you said, Mr. Chair, we have only had, uh, two years, two years of of implementation. But there has been, I would say, significant results. I will now refer to some of these results with regard to DG grow, uh, work. So far, we have received about 3422 submissions for from economic operators, participating in about 598 public procurement procedures across the European Union. Among the submissions, there are two types of submissions. We have received 478 notifications, 2860 declarations. But we also have what we call 84 notifications. We are covering areas which are particularly important for public procurement. I'm thinking about construction. I'm thinking about it. I'm thinking about health. I'm thinking about electrical machinery, transport services, transport equipment. We have opened three in-depth investigations concerning public procurement procedures, which were closed without adopting a final decision because of the withdrawal of all the three notifying parties, in this case, the foreign companies state owned enterprise focus on rolling stock manufacturer the CRC, Longi Solar Technology and Shanghai Electric. These were the three companies and they withdrew after the announcement of the in-depth investigation. Okay. In February 2025, we issued a request for information to a company active in the nuclear energy sector, as well as to the relevant member States authorities. This marked the start of DG growth first sufficient investigation under the FSR.”
State Aid · EU Single Market harmonisation · EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
- “We have now about 27, 30, 30% more cases than in 2024, for instance, and we are only at the end of September. And for that, to ensure a strict enforcement, DG grow has established a new dedicated uh FSR unit for in subsidies regulation unit. In May 2025 and I have the honour to lead this unit. Second, the quality of submissions received remains an area for improvement and we want to engage with. We want to engage more in a dialogue with stakeholders and contracting authorities, because we believe it is crucial to ensure the clarity about their obligations under the FSR and online submission form will progressively become available in all EU languages. Third, we also intend to focus more and more on below threshold procedures to ensure that subsidised economic operators do not systematically bid below threshold to avoid precisely scrutiny under the FSR. That's below the €250 million. And last, we have seen a growing interest from stakeholders and industry associations to provide information, offering useful insights that feed into our sectoral assessments and support more effective enforcement of the foreign subsidies regulation. I keep, I will keep on encouraging this stakeholders and associations to provide us this insight. Input information about what is going on in the in the market, in the relevant market, in this case also in public procurement. Uh, Eddie.”
State Aid · EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure · EU policy on social & environmental impact of foreign investments
- “Uh, do we have enough resources in the European Commission to deal with this? I think the Commission has taken a my hierarchy has taken concrete steps precisely to address this issue. As I mentioned before. Uh, we have set up, um, the commission has set up a new specific unit in DG, in DGs, in DG grow, which is precisely aimed as addressing this increased number of of resources and we are growing. This is what I can say at the moment. And I think this is good because also, I think this will allow us to face these these challenges that I mentioned before. I will let also Eddie to focus, perhaps if he wants to to to mention something about the resources in DG, in DG competition. Um, essential data sharing between between services in the commission. I think this is important. However, we also have to to take into account one of the articles in the regulation that, uh, limits the possibility for the Commission to use this data for other purposes different than those of this regulation. So there we have to be a bit careful. Um, I will let some of the questions on simplification also to. To um. And Mr.. Mr.. Chair, a lot of cases um insufficient. As I said, we have the commission has taken already concrete steps at least at the level of DG dg grow and I'm sure also about DG, DG competition and we are growing and it's a new concrete unit focus on uh answering to all these notifications, public procurement cases.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU Competition policy
- “Uh, and you mentioned China. I wouldn't I wouldn't only like to focus on on China. I think the idea of the regulation is to focus on, uh, all possible companies that have, European or not have received, um, foreign, foreign contributions. Um, I, I think, I will believe the experience that we have so far with some of the cases that we have put forward. Um, the, uh, the in-depth investigation is that indeed, uh, these companies have withdrawn, they withdraw. They didn't challenge this decision at the level of of the court. And that's why I think it's also important, what I mentioned before. It's also the commitment of the commission to look as well below the threshold, what is going on at the level of below the threshold, to avoid precisely that, some of these companies may only apply to below the threshold tenders and try to avoid the scrutiny of the of the European Commission. Um, so answering to the question, yes, probably there is a change in behavior. I think the regulation is acting as a deterrent. But we want I want to be clear that the idea is to be deterrent against those that are that are benefiting from foreign subsidies and that they may want to come to Europe. Distorting the internal market.”
Trade relations with China · EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure
- “Thank you very much for this very interesting question. I'll try to be as precise as possible. Um, impressive. Thank you very much, Mr. Caspary, for for your support and the support of the group on, on the implementation and on the, on the tool. Uh, indeed. I think I can just simply refer to the words of the, of the of the president of the commission. We are an open economy and we want to be open, but it's important that those coming to participate in tenders in the European Union, come on a on a fair basis and that there is no distortion. Um, thank you very much again for your support. Uh, Mrs. Van Brempt, thank you as well for for your support. Um, what? I want to clarify something. I think, um, we we have to say, and this is what I said, that the number of submissions in public procurement and I mentioned 3420 something, has significantly exceeded the expectations that were particularly mentioned in the impact assessment that was put forward. Um, this probably also continues to increase and probably will increase because not necessarily. We are also seeing that not necessarily all, uh, contracting authorities or contracting authorities entities are perhaps submitting the what they should. Um, why is this? Because probably at the time when the impact assessment was, was carried out, um, we we the services of the commission check it up and and probably not the whole information was available. So there is also probably about about contracting authorities submitting all the information and notifying in all the relevant information.”
"Buy European" provisions · EU Single Market harmonisation
- “Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Honourable members of this House, the European Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, it is certainly an honour for for us, for the commission, for my colleague Eddie Meister and myself. He's coming from the competition, coming from DG grow to present the implementation of these foreign subsidies regulation. As the chair has said, it is a relatively new piece of legislation and we are certainly happy, very happy to exchange views with, with, with all of you. So there has been indeed two years of, of enforcement since the, We are starting to implement the foreign subsidies regulation, and we believe this regulation stands as one of the cornerstones of European legal instruments to safeguard and enhance EU competitiveness, ensuring a level playing field for businesses. It's about fair competition, and I think it is particularly important in these times where we have to ensure the growth and the competitiveness of, of this continent. Um, and this has been raised, uh, politically by the president of the commission at the state of the Union speech where, uh, she Mrs. von der Leyen expressed the importance to ensure a level playing field by protecting our industries from unfair competition and the urgency to focus on lead markets mentioned. Um, but this has not been the only political statement has been done recently. Um, regarding also the importance of enhancing the implementation of the foreign subsidies regulation, I can I can recall the competitiveness compacts and as well the single market strategy, which underpin, again, our commitment to a level playing field in the European Union, uh, through through an effective enforcement of the foreign subsidies regulation has also been mentioned quite a bit of times.”
EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure · EU Competition policy · Competitiveness matrix
- “This this latest week's about the Draghi report. And we also believe the the foreign subsidy regulation response to the drug report, um, which basically trying to turn its recommendation on fair competition and strategic autonomy into something which is tangible. This is a tangible tool, um, ensuring and strengthening the Europe's economic independence. Um, the enhancements and the implementation of the foreign subsidies regulation was also were also part of the mission. Letters of the EVP. Uh, Mrs. Rivera and EVP, Mr. Séjourné, which both of them have been entrusted to enforce rigorously the regulation by proactively mapping the most problematic practices that distort the internal market. The Commission is fully competent on this for the reviews under the Foreign Subsidy Regulation, and the Commission is fully committed to implement this regulation. Um, so DG grow handles foreign subsidy regulation related to public procurement, whilst DG competition covers cases related to notified concentrations, mergers and and both services may conduct ex-officio investigations, ensuring comprehensive oversight and enforcement of the of the regulation. Let me now focus on on public procurement, and then I will give the floor to my colleague, um, on, on on concentrations and mergers, public procurement, as you you know, it's a very important, uh, field of the economy.”
EU Single Market harmonisation · EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure · EU Competition policy
- “Um, it's, uh, it's vital to stimulate the independence, uh, to to stimulate our strategic independence, to stimulate our innovation, and to stimulate, uh, our competitiveness and even sustainability or in strategic sectors. Um, it represents, uh, basically about €2.5 trillion annually, which is about 15% of the whole GDP of the European Union. About 20% of these figures is covered under the EU Public Procurement directives. You have also heard, probably, that the Commission is engaged in revisiting and revising these this legislation and, and uh, soon there will be, um, evaluation and the Commission might put forward new, uh, new proposals. The idea is to make this legislation simpler, to make it more digital, more innovative, and to enable EU preference in certain strategic sectors. That was also mentioned by the president, von der Leyen. Um, the public procurement module of the FSR is designed to ensure fair competition of the public procurement landscape by first assessing notifications and declarations received under the In public procurement that go beyond with a value of €250 million. Second, we can also the Commission can also request ad hoc notifications in public procurement procedures below that threshold in case of suspicion of distortion. And we can also analyze market information in the context of official reviews on alleged foreign subsidies, distorting the internal market.”
"Buy European" provisions · EU Single Market harmonisation
- “This investigation is currently in preliminary review phase. The Commission may either close the case if it does not find foreign subsidies, or it has insufficient indications that the foreign subsidies found are distorted, or the Commission may also open an in-depth that investigation. If it has sufficient indications that foreign subsidies granted to the undertaking distort the internal market. We have also taken another set of decisions. In March 2025. We also declared to Tenderers incomplete and irregular. The decisions are technical and do not take position on distortive foreign subsidies. Instead, they are issued because a notifying party that submitted an incomplete notification does not completed in a satisfactory manner. This decision and the identify of the notifying parties are not public. Irregular tenders, when they are declared irregular or incomplete, must be rejected by the contracting authority. I think that's important to mention. The first tender concerning the IT equipment, while the second was about the construction of a railway tunnel. The notifying parties did not challenge these two decisions in court. Let me let me conclude before I give the floor to my colleague Eddie, um, saying, first, you know, some conclusions also. But also I would like to provide you some, some steps that we are taking, as well as next steps that we would like to put forward as well. First, the number of submissions have significantly exceeded the expectations and continues to increase.”
EU policy on screening foreign investment in strategic sectors and critical infrastructure · EU Competition policy · EU policy on social & environmental impact of foreign investments