DAILY NEWS Brussels, 09 September 2026
DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 09 September 2026
Commission proposes simpler and more strategic Public Procurement rules
Today, the European Commission adopted a proposal for a new Regulation to modernise and simplify the EU's public procurement framework to support effective investments in public services and infrastructure in line with the Union's policy objectives.
Drawing on extensive consultations with public buyers, businesses, trade unions, and civil society, the Commission is proposing an ambitious reform to make public procurement simpler, more flexible, and more effective. It will help complete the Single Market for public procurement, which accounts for around 15% of the EU's GDP.
Public procurement is central to both the European economy and citizens' daily lives, covering everything from transport, infrastructure, and energy systems, to schools and health care services. The proposal is expected to deliver significant administrative annual savings of €650 million, resulting from a burden reduction of €80 million for public buyers and of €570 million for economic operators.
The proposed Public Procurement Regulation builds on the strengths of the Single Market in four key ways.
Simpler and clearer rules
The proposed Public Procurement Act makes the rules simpler and clearer by consolidating into one directly-applicable Regulation the three existing public procurement directives and procurement provisions currently spread across sector-specific legislation. This will create a more coherent and predictable procurement framework, reducing complexity, administrative burden and inconsistencies in how the rules are applied with three procedures instead of five currently. It will reduce complexity and inconsistency resulting from separate legislative acts and divergent national transposition choices.
The new framework gives public buyers greater flexibility, allowing negotiations with the applicant during the procedures. It encourages better market consultation, simplifies administrative procedures and allows for negotiations, making public procurement more similar to private procurement. It also introduces an innovation procedure for the development and acquisition of innovative solutions not yet available on the market.
One single platform for all procurement in the EU
Key to simplification and administrative burden reduction is the creation of an integrated digital procurement marketplace consisting of interconnected and interoperable Member States' eProcurement platforms.
The digital marketplace will simplify and facilitate procurement for public buyers (for example, through the automatic verification of exclusion criteria). It will allow companies to take part in procurement procedures and submit tenders across the EU through any of the connected eProcurement platforms applying the 'once-only' principle, avoiding repeated requests for information and documentation requirements. This will promote access to new business opportunities and increase the number of offers public buyers receive, maximising the potential of the single market.
The digital marketplace will moreover streamline data exchanges between Member States' eProcurement systems through the creation of a unified framework for data management, thereby strengthening transparency, accountability, and anti-fraud capabilities.
Stronger support for environmental, social, and innovation goals
The proposal makes the Best Price-Quality Ratio (BPQR) the standard award method, with quality criteria accounting for at least 30% (50% for labour-intensive contracts), subject to a 'comply or explain' mechanism. Contracting authorities may deviate from this approach if they explain how quality will otherwise be ensured, for example through minimum quality requirements.
Public buyers will thus have to systematically consider not only price, but also quality, including environmental, social, innovation, security and resilience, and 'European preference' considerations. Public buyers will have full discretion over which quality criteria to apply and in which proportion in individual procurement procedures, with the proposal offering practical tools to support public buyers in this.
Greater security, resilience and strategic autonomy
In line with the recommendations of the Draghi report, the proposal reflects the growing geopolitical importance of public procurement. It enables, and in some cases requires, public buyers to address risks related to security and public safety of the Union or Member States, sensitive information, cybersecurity, and undue third-country influence.
New provisions on resilience and security of supply would apply to contracts involving entities linked to critical infrastructures and aim to support diversification of supply chains, security of supply and crisis preparedness.
Finally, the Regulation introduces a horizontal European preference framework for public procurement in line with the Union's international legal obligations. It clarifies which operators and products are covered by the Union's international procurement commitments and makes this easier to check. The Commission would be able to restrict such coverage where a market access analysis establishes that a third country has failed to grant Union operators fair market access in line with its commitments, or where restrictions are needed to avoid security of supply dependencies or protect our economic security interests.
Next steps
The proposed Regulation will be negotiated by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union before its adoption and entry into force.
Background
The revision was announced in President von der Leyen's Political Guidelines.
It responds to long-standing shortcomings identified by the European Court of Auditors, including declining competition, limited SME and cross-border participation, and the rise of single-bid procedures. It also follows calls from the Council of the EU and the European Parliament for a strategic, simplified, and competitive framework.
It also responds to the recommendations of the Draghi and Letta reports, which highlight public procurement as a strategic tool to strengthen Europe's industrial base, support innovation, advance the green and digital transitions, and reinforce economic security.
For more information
Public Procurement Regulation
Questions and answers
Factsheet
Quote(s)
Europe spends hundreds of billions of euros through public procurement every year. This money must work harder for Europe. With this reform, we are cutting bureaucracy, giving public buyers more flexibility and making it easier for our SMEs to compete across the Single Market. And we are making a clear political choice: European public money should, wherever possible, create jobs, investment and opportunities in Europe rather than filling the order books of our competitors.
Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy
Commission proposes new European Innovation Act to help innovative European ideas grow and compete globally
Today, the Commission proposed a new European Innovation Act to help Europe's most innovative ideas be developed, financed and scaled up in Europe. A key initiative under the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and the Competitiveness Compass for the EU, the proposal will strengthen the EU's long-term competitiveness, prosperity and technological sovereignty.
Europe possesses an abundance of world-class research, talent and creativity. However, innovators face different rules across EU countries and frequently struggle to attract funding. As a result, ideas developed in Europe are too-often turned into economic success by others, and elsewhere. The European Innovation Act aims to change this by making it easier for innovative European companies to grow across borders and compete globally.
Strengthening the EU innovation ecosystem
The proposal focuses on addressing two main challenges holding back innovation in Europe.
First, it will help innovative companies access financing. Many startups and scaleups have innovative ideas, patents and other intellectual property, but these assets are often difficult to value, which makes it harder to attract investment.
The European Innovation Act will promote a common EU framework to value intellectual property. It will also create a digital marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of intellectual property and offer expert support to help companies bring their ideas to the market.
These measures are expected to generate around €35 million in administrative cost savings and unlock €10.2 billion per year in additional financing through IP-backed venture capital and debt.
Second, it will establish a common procedure for research and development (R&D) procurement, providing greater legal certainty and helping new technologies reach the market faster, including technologies that can help address shared societal challenges, such as health, education and clean mobility. It will also make it easier for public buyers from different Member States to jointly carry out R&D procurements.
These measures are expected to generate €1 billion per year in savings for public buyers, and €25.92 billion in additional annual profits for companies.
A more innovation-friendly regulatory framework
In parallel with the European Innovation Act, the Commission will help innovators accelerate the transformation of innovative ideas into market solutions through a specific proposal on regulatory sandboxes.
Regulatory sandboxes enable companies, researchers and public authorities to test new products, services or technologies for a limited time in a controlled setting and under the supervision of regulators. This helps innovators understand how rules apply in practice, while giving authorities an understanding of how rules may need to be reviewed.
Regulatory sandboxes already exist in some areas of EU law, but there is no common approach across Europe, which creates fragmentation and uncertainty.
The new proposal for a Council Recommendation aims to change this by creating a common EU reference framework for regulatory sandboxes in areas not yet covered by EU legislation. It will build on lessons learned in both Member States and existing EU initiatives. This will give innovators more room to test new solutions, while ensuring that public interests remain protected.
Factsheet on the European Innovation Act
Proposal for the European Innovation Act
Proposal for a Council Recommendation on regulatory sandboxes
EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy - Research and innovation
With the European Innovation Act, we are tackling fragmentation head-on: one framework for IP valuation, one digital marketplace connecting buyers and sellers, and one simpler route for public procurement of cutting-edge research and development. And this is only the beginning. By 2028, we will create a genuine single market where ideas scale faster, finance circulates more freely, and Europe’s strategic autonomy grows stronger. That is the Europe we are building.
Ekaterina Zaharieva, Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation
Commission approves new geographical indication from Romania
The European Commission has approved the registration of Brânză frământată de Teaca from Romania as a Protected geographical indication (PGI).
Brânză frământată de Teaca is a cheese from Teaca, a village in northern Romania. It is made from raw, i.e. unpasteurised, cow's milk that is curdled, fermented, aged, salted and kneaded in a pig's bladder. The cheese's characteristics cannot be accurately replicated outside this cultural and geographical context, as they rely on the local producers' ability to interpret and control each stage of the process through sight and touch. This expertise has been passed down from generation to generation, and is a core part of the community's identity, linking the product's name to the taste, texture, and quality expected by consumers.
This new designation joins the more than 3,900 protected names already listed in the eAmbrosia database. More information is available on the Quality Policy pages.
(For more information: Louise Bogey – Tel.: +32 229-69776; Bridget Moylan – Tel.: +32 229-82844)
Statement by Commissioner Lahbib ahead of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack
Ahead of the International Day to Protect Education from Attack, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, issued the following statement:
“In 2024–2025, more than 8,500 attacks on education facilities, staff and students were reported across 28 conflict-affected countries, according to the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack. Schools were shelled, seized, and turned into barracks. At least 10,600 students and teachers were harmed. Attacks rose by more than 40% compared with the previous two years.
Attacks on education are only part of the violence children face in conflict. Last year alone, some 38,000 grave violations were verified against more than 24,000 children. These children should have been sitting at a desk, not counted in a report. When a school is destroyed, we lose more than walls and classrooms. We destroy a place where dreams are born, where futures are built, where children can imagine a different world. Education must never become casualty of war. No child should pay the price of a conflict they did not start.
[...]
All parties to armed conflicts must stop attacking schools, stop using them for military purposes, and let protection workers reach children safely. Every violation must be documented, investigated and answered for, including through United Nations-led mechanisms. Without accountability, we teach the world a terrible lesson: that a child's education can be destroyed at no cost.
Protecting education is not a humanitarian afterthought. In a humanitarian crisis, education is itself a basic need. It gives children a place where they can see friends, eat a meal, speak to an adult they trust, and, for a few hours, simply be a child. That is why the European Union supports education as part of its emergency humanitarian response, alongside food, shelter, health and protection. We support those working to keep classrooms open. We demand that schools be protected, and we press for justice when they are attacked.
We cannot wait for the guns to fall silent. Every school that stays open keeps a child's future alive.”
The full statement is available online.
(For more information: Eva Hrncirova – Tel.: +32 2 298 84 33; Quentin Cortes - Tel: +32 2 291 32 83)
President von der Leyen, Executive Vice-Presidents Virkkunen and Séjourné, and Commissioner Kubilius at International Space Summit
At the International Space Summit in Paris today and tomorrow, President Ursula von der Leyen, Executive Vice-Presidents Henna Virkkunen and Stéphane Séjourné, and Commissioner Andrius Kubilius will present how the EU supports secure communications, navigation, Earth observation and access to space for citizens, businesses and public authorities. The focus will be on the increasingly important role of space for Europe's competitiveness, security and resilience.
Today, Commissioner Kubilius is taking part in a panel on access to space, together with industry representatives. Tomorrow, President von der Leyen will deliver a keynote speech at 10:15 CEST, which will be broadcast live on EBS. Executive Vice-President Virkkunen will participate in a roundtable on direct-to-device connectivity from space. Commissioner Kubilius will also take part in a session on space for defence, together with defence ministers, and will join a session on Europe's position in global competition, together with leaders from European industry.
On the same day, the EU will also host an event bringing together Commissioner Kubilius, French Minister Philippe Baptiste, and key European stakeholders around four priorities: accelerating the deployment of IRIS² and expanding its capacity, presenting the new long-term vision for European Space Transportation, highlighting the strategic value of Copernicus, and supporting the EU in-orbit services and operations, a joint initiative with the European Space Agency.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier — Tel. + 32 2 299 10 99; Nika Blazevic — Tel. + 32 2 299 27 17)
Commissioner Dombrovskis in Latvia for Riga Conference 2026
Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, will be in Latvia this Thursday and Friday for the Riga Conference 2026 – a gathering where global and local leaders, from politics and the military to business and media, meet to discuss major global security and foreign policy issues. Commissioner Dombrovskis will take part in a series of high-level discussions on European competitiveness as well as on global economic relations and the Union's economic policy. He will also engage bilaterally with Latvian authorities and stakeholders on defence, economic governance and simplification.
On Thursday, the Commissioner will meet with Raivis Melnis, Latvia's Minister of Defence. He will then participate in the opening session of the Riga Conference, together with Edgars Rinkēvičs, President of Latvia. Later that day, Commissioner Dombrovskis will join Helen McEntee, Ireland's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, for a conversation on the EU's place in the world in the context of increased geopolitical competition, economic uncertainty and security challenges, including Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
On Friday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will take part in a plenary session on European economy and competitiveness, two years from the Draghi Report, alongside other prominent speakers, including Andrew Puzder, US Ambassador to the EU. The Commissioner will then meet members of the Action Group on Red Tape Reduction and its chair, for an exchange of views on simplification and competitiveness at the EU and national level.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Francisca Marçal Santos – Tel.: +32 2 299 72 36)
Commissioner Lahbib visits Romania and Moldova to advance preparedness, solidarity and equality
Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, will visit Romania and Moldova on Thursday and Friday 10-11 September, to discuss and promote stronger European solidarity, preparedness, and equality. She travels to these countries to reiterate the EU's commitment to advancing equality and fundamental rights, as essential building blocks of more resilient, democratic and inclusive societies across Europe.
In Bucharest on 10 September, Commissioner Lahbib will meet with President of Romania, Nicușor Dan, interim Prime Minister, Ilie Bolojan, members of the Parliamentary Committees on EU Affairs, and Secretary of State, Raed Arafat. Discussions will focus on Romania's strong contribution to European preparedness and civil protection, alongside challenges on equality and non-discrimination.
Romania has played, in particular, an active role in this year's wildfire response, with firefighting teams deployed to France, Greece and Serbia. Its new rescEU helicopter, the first delivered for the permanent European fleet, was deployed to Serbia in August.
The Commissioner will also hold discussions with people with disabilities and organisations working in the field of gender equality, LGBTIQ+ rights and Roma inclusion.
Commissioner Lahbib will hold a press point with Secretary of State Arafat at 18:15 EEST, at the headquarters of the General Inspectorate for Aviation. The press point will be broadcast on EBS.
On 11 September in Chișinău, Commissioner Lahbib will focus on the EU's humanitarian and civil protection support, and the importance of equality and non-discrimination in Moldova's accession path to the EU.
She will meet with President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, Prime Minister, Vasile Tofan, Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov, and Minister of Interior, Daniella Misail-Nichitin.
Since 2022, the EU has provided over €93 million in humanitarian assistance to Moldova. This year, the EU supported Moldova following pollution on the Dniester River, while Moldova contributed to the EU's fight against wildfires by deploying firefighters to Greece. Moldova also hosted Ukrainian aerial firefighting capacities.
The Commissioner will visit the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, and together with Minister of Labour and Social Protection, Natalia Plugaru, a centre for victims of sexual violence, and a refugee accommodation centre. A joint press statement is foreseen during the visit and will be broadcast on EBS.
Commissioner Brunner inaugurates new Security Research and Innovation Campus
Tomorrow, the European Commission will launch the Security Research and Innovation Campus, a flagship initiative under the ProtectEU Internal Security Strategy. Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, will officially inaugurate the Campus in Ispra during a high-level event at the Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).
By connecting cutting-edge research with real operational needs, the Campus will make a substantial contribution to the Union's strategic autonomy and technological sovereignty in all security matters. It will support a more integrated European capability development model linking research, experimentation, testing, evaluation, validation, procurement, deployment and continuous operational feedback. Areas of research include cybersecurity, digital and nuclear forensics and quantum communications and remote sensing.
The Campus will bring together national and EU security experts across a wide range of critical technologies, offering direct access to the JRC's world-class laboratories and research facilities as well as targeted training and the wider European security capability ecosystem.
To further develop this ecosystem, the Commission will deepen its cooperation with key EU agencies, including Europol and Frontex, as well as with Member States, research organisations and Europe's security industry. This initiative will be supported by Horizon Europe's security research programme and the future European Competitiveness Fund.
(For more information: Maciej Berestecki - Tel: +32 229-66483; Isabel Arriaga e Cunha – Tel: +32 229-52117)
Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings
Note that these items can be subject to changes.
Upcoming events of the European Commission
Eurostat press releases
Calendar items of the President and Commissioners
Individual calendars of the President and Commissioners
New EU rules to help local authorities tackle the housing crisis
The Commission today proposed the Affordable Housing Act to support Member States and cities address housing affordability and availability in areas facing the greatest pressures. The lack of affordable housing has become one of the most urgent concerns for Europeans. According to the latest Eurobarometer, over 50% of city dwellers consider housing as an immediate and urgent problem where they live. Today's proposal helps addressing these concerns. The housing crisis also weakens our competitiveness, by limiting labour and educational mobility. Therefore, it is essential to address it.
In some cities and popular tourist destinations, where pressure on housing is strongest, the increasing use of housing for purposes other than primary residence can aggravate local availability and affordability. The Affordable Housing Act responds to these highly localised concerns. It gives public authorities the legal certainty when they choose to act, based on local specificities, within EU law.
Some Member States have already taken measures to ease such pressures, but have been faced with legal challenges about the compatibility with EU law. The Affordable Housing Act brings clarity and predictability, and addresses the request of Member States and municipalities for greater legal certainty on how they can act in the context of the EU's single market.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the Commission said: “A year ago, I promised to tackle Europe's housing affordability. Today, we are taking one step in this direction. By providing more clarity and support to local authorities and communities, anchored in local realities. Lack of affordable housing is a matter of concern for so many of our European citizens. Essential workers and students cannot afford to live where they serve and study. But most importantly, it is about fairness. Today, we are delivering for all Europeans “.
Legal certainty for authorities protecting housing affordability and availability
The Affordable Housing Act provides the first-ever common European framework for assessing housing-related measures affecting the single market. It leaves the decision on whether to act, and which measures to adopt, to the competent authorities. Housing policy choices remain national, regional and local.
The Act is designed to provide legal clarity to authorities, when they choose to take action, in areas under housing stress, while safeguarding the Single Market and fully respecting the principle of subsidiarity.
The new rules are designed to help competent authorities identify “areas under housing stress” using a common methodology. Where authorities choose to restrict the use of housing, for instance for short-term rentals or vacant dwellings, they must show that this contributes to local housing pressures and ensure that any measures are targeted, necessary and proportionate.
As regards short-term rentals, any measure must be targeted at activities that reduce the housing stock available for long-term use, especially where their scale, frequency or commercial character aggravate housing pressure. Before introducing restrictions, authorities must also demonstrate that short-term rental activity has had a significant adverse effect on housing affordability or availability for at least three years, and that less restrictive measures would not be equally effective. They must apply and enforce the EU Short-Term Rental Regulation, including its registration requirements and the removal or disabling of listings that do not comply with them, and, where available, use the data collected under that Regulation to support their assessment.
Short-term rentals are not the only form of non-primary use of housing that can aggravate housing pressures. Authorities are also taking measures affecting the acquisition or use of residential property, for example to address second homes or prolonged vacancy. The Affordable Housing Act also provides a clearer framework for such action. The Act protects legal certainty and legitimate expectations: conditions linked to acquisition cannot apply retroactively, appropriate transitional arrangements must be provided, and measures addressing long-term vacancy should take into account justified periods of non-occupation.
For residents in areas under pressure, the aim is that measures taken locally are better targeted, better supported by evidence and reviewed over time, and that they are accompanied by measures to increase housing supply. Investors and property owners operating across several local markets will benefit from more clarity on the EU legal framework.
The proposal is accompanied by a Recommendation on housing affordability and supply in areas under housing stress. It supports authorities in their efforts to increase housing supply in areas that need it most, including through faster planning and permitting of new construction renovation and repurposing buildings and facilitating investment. Authorities are also encouraged to concentrate such efforts to increase housing supply via Housing Acceleration Plans. Together, the legislative proposal and the Recommendation help authorities preserve housing affordability and availability while accelerating the additional housing supply the EU needs. The Act is one component of the European Affordable Housing Plan, alongside the new State aid rules for affordable housing and the European Strategy for Housing Construction.
The legislative proposal will now pass to the European Parliament and the Council under the ordinary legislative procedure. In parallel, the Commission will continue collaborating closely with Member States and all relevant stakeholders to implement the European Affordable Housing Plan.
The Affordable Housing Act delivers on President Von der Leyen's State of the Union address of September 2025, where she announced that the Commission would have tackled housing affordability with a legal initiative. It is a flagship initiative under the European Affordable Housing Plan and complements EU action to mobilise public and private investment in social and affordable housing and to reduce the time and cost of building and renovating homes. It also complements existing EU rules on short term rentals applicable since May 2026, which aims to improve transparency and access to data, while the Affordable Housing Act sets out the framework for assessing and justifying housing-related measures.
Questions & Answers on the Affordable Housing Act
Proposal for a Regulation establishing a framework for measures in Member States to safeguard housing affordability and availability
Commission Recommendation on housing affordability and supply in areas under housing stress
Making housing affordable - Housing - European Commission
European Affordable Housing Plan
A year ago, I promised to tackle Europe’s housing affordability. Today, we are taking one step in this direction. By providing more clarity and support to local authorities and communities, anchored in local realities. Lack of affordable housing is a matter of concern for so many of our European citizens. Essential workers and students cannot afford to live where they serve and study. But most importantly, it is about fairness. Today, we are delivering for all Europeans.
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission
Housing is, above all, a place to live, a place to enjoy, to feel safe, and to ensure that we can develop our capacities and strengths. Houses and apartments also have a legitimate economic value, which explains why many people invest in real estate. However, we are facing a terrible crisis that prevents many citizens from accessing housing. When the market fails to deliver something as fundamental as an affordable home, public authorities have a responsibility to act. With the Affordable Housing Act, we are providing legal certainty to local authorities, enabling them to take action and address one of the biggest problems of our time.
Teresa Ribera, Executive Vice-President for Clean, Just and Competitive Transition
Housing is not just a commodity. It is a right, and a fundamental pillar of human dignity. Europeans should have the possibility to live, work and stay in the places they call home. They should have the possibility to find an affordable and decent home in the place where they wish to build their life. While building new and renovating remain essential, we urgently need to make better use of the homes we already have. The Affordable Housing Act gives our Member States and cities the tools to make more affordable homes available, especially in the areas most impacted by the crisis. With this common European tool, we can truly bring a change in people’s lives.
Dan Jørgensen, Commissioner for Energy and Housing