EU International Procurement — the verified record, live

The International Procurement Instrument (Regulation (EU) 2022/1031) gives the European Union leverage against third countries that close their public procurement markets to EU businesses. Where the European Commission finds, after investigation and consultation, that a non-EU country applies serious and recurrent restrictions against EU suppliers, it can adopt IPI measures: score adjustments applied to tenders from that country's operators in large EU procurement procedures, or their outright exclusion. The instrument applies to procurements above defined value thresholds and requires successful tenderers to limit subcontracting to affected-country operators. The Commission opened its first investigation, concerning China's procurement of medical devices, in 2024, and has since moved to its first measures in that sector, prompting countermeasures from Beijing — making the IPI a live front in EU–China economic relations. For bidders, contracting authorities and supply chain planners, IPI status now needs checking alongside FSR and traditional procurement rules in major EU tenders.

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as of 2026-08-31 · refreshed from scheduled releases

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Frequently asked

Who enforces the International Procurement Instrument?

The European Commission alone conducts IPI investigations, consults the third country concerned and adopts any IPI measures by implementing act. Contracting authorities and entities across Member States must then apply those measures — score adjustments or exclusion of tenderers from the targeted country — in covered procurement procedures above the relevant thresholds, with limited exceptions requiring justification.

What can an IPI measure actually do?

Two tools are available: a score adjustment that penalises tenders from operators of the targeted third country in award evaluations, or exclusion of such tenders altogether. Measures apply to larger procurements — works and concessions above €15 million and goods and services above €5 million — and winning bidders face limits on subcontracting to operators from the targeted country.

Has the IPI been used yet?

Yes. The Commission opened its first IPI investigation in April 2024 into China's practices in public procurement of medical devices, and that case produced the instrument's first measures restricting Chinese participation in large EU medical device tenders. China responded with reciprocal restrictions on EU suppliers, and further sectors remain under scrutiny, so the instrument's practical footprint is expanding.

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