During today's meeting of the ECON Commission René Jansen, EA ECON Coordinator and shadow rapporteur on procurement, welcomed the emphasis on simplification and local relevance of the opinion on this subject. He stressed the need for a more practical and flexible framework for local and regional authorities. Jansen highlighted the importance of ensuring that EU procurement rules strike the right balance between the internal market and the operational realities of local authorities. “We must preserve the integrity of the single market," he said, “but not at the expense of practical, efficient procurement for local public services that have no cross-border dimension."

Jansen underscored that while competition and transparency remain essential, excessive bureaucracy can hinder smaller authorities from delivering value for money. His remarks reinforced cross-party support for revisions aimed at reducing administrative burdens and tailoring rules more closely to real-world needs.

Highlighting challenges with the current framework — which is spread across more than sixty sectoral laws — EA Coordinator called for the upcoming revision of EU procurement rules to focus on competitive markets and streamlined regulation. “Local authorities need a practical and flexible procurement framework to achieve regional and local objectives," he said, stressing that the current patchwork of rules leads to duplication, inconsistency, and conflicting obligations that are “unworkable in practice."

Rene Jansen made a particular appeal for support for his Amendment 47, which proposes concrete measures and exemptions for public services that operate without cross-border impact. According to him, EU-wide procurement requirements in these areas are unnecessary and disproportionate. He argued that allowing local authorities to procure from local suppliers would enhance resilience, simplicity, and flexibility while better serving the fair provision of basic services.​

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