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Europe Wants More European Products In Government Buying

• By  Textile Excellence
• September 29, 2026

The EU is moving to put a stronger `Made in Europe’ preference into public procurement and that could eventually matter to overseas textile suppliers competing for government contracts.

The European Commission has proposed a new Public Procurement Act that would replace the EU’s three existing procurement directives with a single rulebook. The proposal aims to simplify procurement, digitise the system and give public buyers more scope to consider European production, economic security and supply chain resilience.

For the textile industry, this is worth watching. Public authorities buy large quantities of workwear, uniforms, protective clothing and other textile products, while the EU is also actively pushing circular and sustainable textile procurement.

The European preference

The proposal introduces “European preference” criteria that could allow public buyers to restrict participation, require minimum European or qualifying origin, or give preference to European suppliers in certain tenders.

The Commission says these measures would operate within the EU’s international commitments. The exact sectors and circumstances in which preferences will apply, however, will depend on the final legislation.

Beyond price

There is another important shift. The new framework would make the best price-quality ratio the default way of awarding contracts, rather than simply choosing the cheapest offer. Buyers would also have greater scope to consider environmental, social, innovation, security and resilience factors.

That could work in favour of textile suppliers able to demonstrate strong sustainability credentials, circularity, social compliance and reliable supply chains—not simply competitive prices.

A bigger digital market

There is an opportunity for overseas suppliers too.

The proposal envisages an EU-wide digital procurement system and a “once-only” approach, allowing companies to submit key information and documents without repeatedly providing the same material for different tenders.

Public procurement represents a huge market: EU public authorities spend around 14% of EU GDP through procurement.

The proposal is now entering negotiations between the European Parliament and the Council, so the rules can still change substantially before becoming law.

Europe is increasingly using public purchasing not just to buy at the lowest price, but to strengthen its own industry, resilience and strategic supply chains.

And when European governments start putting more weight on where a product comes from, how it is made and how secure its supply chain is, overseas textile suppliers will have to compete on more than price.

Europe is increasingly using public purchasing not just to buy at the lowest price, but to strengthen its own industry, resilience and strategic supply chains. And when European governments start putting more weight on where a product comes from, how it is made and how secure its supply chain is, overseas textile suppliers will have to compete on more than price.