EU Excludes Chinese Companies From Medical Device Procurement
The European Commission on June 19 decided to exclude Chinese companies from EU government purchases of medical devices exceeding $5.7 million following the first investigation under the EU's International Procurement Instrument. The decision allows no more than 50% of Chinese inputs for successful bids, the commission said. The EU said it will add exceptions "where no alternative suppliers exist."
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The commission said the measure is in line with its World Trade Organization commitments, since the EU "has no binding procurement commitments vis-à-vis China." The measure was imposed to incentivize China to halt its "discrimination against EU firms and EU-made medical devices," which has led to the "longstanding exclusion of EU-made medical devices from Chinese government contracts."
The issue of medical device procurement access has been "repeatedly raised" with Chinese authorities, but China hasn't offered "specific commitments that would address the discriminatory measures and practices identified." The EU "remains committed to dialogue and stands ready to intensify contacts with the Chinese authorities to address this discrimination."