to defend the inclusion of a regulatory annex on government procurement with a view to maximising the participation of European companies in foreign tenders, while maintaining EU criteria, including social and environmental criteria, and procedures in European tenders, notably regarding SMEs’ access to public contracts, the eligibility criteria based on the best ‘quality-price’ ratio and the thresholds below which commitments do not apply; to overcome the lack of transparency and market entry barriers regarding non-European calls for tenders and to denounce the lack of reciprocity in this area at all levels of government, as illustrated by the preferential treatment granted to domestic companies in several countries, while allowing for the ...[+++] possibility of opting for market access and national treatment commitments for the sake of multilateralisation; to encourage the ratification and implementation by those parties who have not yet done so of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement and its 2011 revision; to call on the European Union to introduce a ‘European Business Act’, modelled on the ‘American Business Act’ and supporting the economic development of SMEs and European industry;

iii. to defend the inclusion of a regulatory annex on government procurement with a view to maximising the participation of European companies in foreign tenders, while maintaining EU criteria, including social and environmental criteria, and procedures in European tenders, notably regarding SMEs’ access to public contracts, the eligibility criteria based on the best ‘quality-price’ ratio and the thresholds below which commitments do not apply; to overcome the lack of transparency and market entry barriers regarding non-European calls for tenders and to denounce the lack of reciprocity in this area at all levels of government, as illustrated by the preferential treatment granted to domestic companies in several countries, while allowing fo ...[+++]r the possibility of opting for market access and national treatment commitments for the sake of multilateralisation; to encourage the ratification and implementation by those parties who have not yet done so of the WTO Government Procurement Agreement and its 2011 revision; to call on the European Union to introduce a ‘European Business Act’, modelled on the ‘American Business Act’ and supporting the economic development of SMEs and European industry;

(11) Member States should take all measures necessary to remove any obstacle that might hinder the effective and widest possible mandatory automatic exchange of information on advance cross-border rulings and advance pricing arrangements in order to enhance cooperation and transparency, taking the global OECD standard for standard automatic exchange of information into consideration as a minimum standard and also the fact that Member States have committed to measures to prevent tax avoidance by implementing and considering going beyond G20-OECD models for country by country reporting.

Many stakeholders have said that the EU should have a greater choice of possible measures at its disposal than the standard ad valorem duties, fixed duties, minimum prices and price undertakings.

(a) where the contract is awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender, various criteria linked to the subject‑matter of the contract in question, such as delivery or completion date, running costs, cost‑effectiveness, quality, aesthetic and functional characteristics, environmental characteristics including production methods, technical merit, after‑sales service and technical assistance, commitments with regard to parts, security of supply, price and the tenderer’s equal treatment policy; or

(a) where the contract is awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender for the contracting entities, involving various criteria linked to the contract in question, such as delivery or completion date, running costs, cost-effectiveness, (including external costs), quality, aesthetic and functional characteristics and impact, technical merit, the tenderer's commitment to promote specific social aims, like integrating persons excluded from the labour market, after-sales service and technical assistance, commitments with regard to spare parts, security of supply, and price; or