Should the Chinese be able to build motorways and public administration data centres in the EU even if European companies can’t do so in China? Two MEPs debate.

Interview: Tit for tat?

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16256464/n003-0240-en.srt

Increasingly, foreign companies compete  for public tenders in EU countries.

But European firms find it hard  to access public procurement markets

The European Commission  wants to improve the position

with the introduction  of a reciprocity clause.

Only companies from countries  which open their market to Europeans

could take part in tenders within the EU.

The issue has stirred controversy  in the EU and in the EP.

We asked two MEPs whether  new regulation is needed at all

or whether Europeans should learn  to negotiate better deals.

Exactly. I think this is a bad proposal  for many reasons from the Commission,

particularly because of the time  we find ourselves in.

To be closing our markets  in terms of EU procurement

is actually going to deliver less value  for EU taxpayers.

A new regulation is obviously necessary.

There is flagrant asymmetry on the  question of public procurement markets.

They represent on average  20% of gross domestic product,

They represent 20 million jobs potentially.

If some principle should govern  the global market in public procurement,

should it be reciprocity  or something else?

The fair exchange  with the large emerging countries

and with the large advanced countries -  our alter egos -

If the Chinese can tender and obtain  the construction of a motorway in Poland,

it's perfectly normal that public  and private construction companies

should obtain the construction  of railways or motorways in China.

We need to assess how open  the EU markets are perceived to be

with third countries,  the rest of the world.

I don't think that access  is as great a percentage

as perhaps the Commission  have claimed.

Similarly we also need to have access  to markets overseas

and some reciprocity  needs to be looked at.

It's really threatening to close markets

and I think that could lead to retaliation

which could be more detrimental  to us here in the EU.

The EU has let foreign firms  compete for tenders

even if our companies couldn't do so  in their countries. Was that an error?

Above all, it allows Western companies,  European companies,

to sell goods and services  with very high added value,

which they don't have in their countries.

If we start to defend ourselves through  access to our public procurement,

So the Germans fear  for their Mercedes and Audis,

I think we need to look at the statistics  about the public procurement

and who's making those bids  and winning those contracts.

When you look at our GPA partners  and the access only for procurement,

Many Member States have expressed  reservations against any such proposal.

Given its bad odds in the Council, does it  make sense to discuss it in the EP?

Yes, I think it does make sense because  many counties are starting to realise

that the large emerging countries  are moving upmarket extremely rapidly

and moving outwards  to sell their products

I think this is a political battle  of the first order

the progressive and humanistic wing  of this Parliament will prevail.

The Parliament at the moment  is extremely split on this issue.

We're dealing with a dossier that got  negative impact assessment feedback

So we in the EP will look at this  very carefully,

making sure all the arguments  are looked at.