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Europe seeks fair access to public procurement markets in China25 Oct 2010Source Financial Times Europe’s trade chief is calling for an instrument to use in retaliation against countries that do not grant European companies fair access to government contracts – a move that could raise tensions with China Karel De Gucht, trade commissioner, has identified the establishment of such an instrument as a top priority in a forthcoming paper designed to serve as a blueprint for European Union trade policy over the next five years. It is believed the Commission will propose legislation next year “to help secure and increase symmetry in access to public procurement markets in developed countries and large emerging market economies”. Although the document outlining this proposal does not explicitly mention China, the country’s procurement policies have become a source of irritation for European exporters, which believe they have been unfairly excluded from its government contracts. Rules on government procurement are set by an optional international agreement within the World Trade Organisation, to which China has yet to sign up despite pressure from Washington and Brussels. Beijing’s offers on procurement have so far failed to satisfy the US and EU. Its most recent proposal, in August, was deemed insufficient because it failed to cover provincial governments or state-owned enterprises. Read more here |
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