procurement markets

We all want to see improved access for our companies to foreign countries' procurement markets.

It also helps these companies gain access to federal and private procurement markets.

At international level, we are doing everything we can to open up the public procurement markets of the world's major economies.

The second aspect relates to reciprocity of access to the public procurement markets.

The good functioning of public procurement markets is essential for stimulating the Single Market.

Reciprocal access to both sides' procurement markets would not only mean savings for public budgets but also provide huge business opportunities.

Providing European companies with access to India's public procurement markets may contribute to our companies' development.

If promptly adopted and effectively implemented by Member States, these measures will contribute to further improve the performance of our public procurement markets.

We want the public to get the message that the mutual opening-up of procurement markets testifies, among other things, to the Member States' trust in one another.

Those talks, which face a January deadline, are currently focused on opening Japan's insurance, auto, auto parts and Government procurement markets.

If other nations can reserve part of their public procurement markets for their SMEs, why shouldn't Europe?

Despite the openness of the EU public procurement market, access to third-country public procurement markets is still restricted to a large extent.

Hitherto, cross-border procurement has accounted for a small share of the whole public procurement market, because SMEs still have limited access to public procurement markets.

The FTA includes significant commitments on trade in services and investments by both sides and mutual access to public procurement markets, also in the energy and transport sectors.

A large number of the measures proposed, such as the review of the accounting directives, cutting red tape, improving access to the capital and public procurement markets, etc. feature in this communication.

EU businesses trying to trade or invest in South-East Asia still face tariff and non-tariff barriers and markets tilted against foreign service providers, especially in public procurement markets.

Regarding access to the European Union's public procurement markets by businesses from third countries, the European Union has a duty to act realistically and pragmatically and, above all, without naivety.

In the process of being reorganised under the auspices of the World Trade Organisation, this Agreement offers the 36 signatories, including our 25 Member States, access to their partners' public procurement markets.

In the absence of improved access for the EU to third-country procurement markets, Commissioner Mandelson and I are reflecting on a market-opening instrument to enhance EU access.

In concluding, I would say that when it comes to local procurement it is indeed important to support and encourage the capacity of emerging economies and developing countries to supply their local procurement markets.

A recent draft report on the functioning of public procurement markets in the EU shows that the procurement directives have contributed to increased transparency in public procurement markets.

This report throws a little light on the social and environmental standards that we must be able to integrate into invitations to tender; it also proposes recommendations to facilitate SME access to public procurement markets.

Furthermore, in the event of commercial disputes, the reciprocity principle should be applied, the protection of intellectual property rights should be improved and there should be reciprocal access to the services and public procurement markets.

Public procurement policy should ensure that public money is used as efficiently as possible, and should keep public procurement markets open, thereby contributing to the relaunch of the EU economy, to job creation and to welfare.

The specific issue of safeguarding equal treatment and fair competition on public procurement markets in the EU and in third countries urgently needs more political attention, especially given current problems regarding access to public sector markets in third countries.