MEPs call for review of public procurement legislation

Brussels, April 26, 2023 - Francisco Guerreiro MEP, together with other colleagues, has sent a question to the European Commission on the measures they intend to implement regarding the revision of public procurement legislation to put an end to the race to the bottom in working conditions financed by public funds.

Read the question below:

Subject: Review of public procurement legislation to end the race to the bottom in publicly funded working conditions

On December 5, 2022, the Commission received an open letter from UNI Europa, the trade union of European service workers. The letter was supported by several MEPs from different political groups and demands a clear political commitment to ensure that companies are only eligible for public contracts if they apply collective agreements. In addition, the letter calls for a swift legislative initiative.

This appeal reflects the fact that public contracts all too often create precarious and unfair working conditions for the workers concerned.In view of the above, we ask the Commission:1. When will it reply to the open letter?2. What measures does it intend to take to put an end to the race to the bottom in publicly funded working conditions that we are currently witnessing?3. How will you ensure that public procurement legislation can require companies to respect a generally non-binding multi-employer collective agreement when bidding for a public tender, or alternatively, how will you ensure that authorities can give preference to a company collective agreement when awarding public contracts?
Read the Commission's response below:

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