The European Union agreed overwhelmingly to curb Chinese medical device manufacturers’ access to public procurement contracts in the bloc, according to people familiar with the matter.
EU countries voted Monday on the measure, which will ban access to public contracts worth more than €5 million ($5.7 million), said one of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
The move is the first action taken by the EU based on its International Procurement Instrument, a 2022 law that’s meant to promote reciprocity in access to public procurement markets.
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The EU has long argued that Beijing has been pushing market-distorting measures and practices to implement its “Made in China” policy and its target of achieving 85% domestic market share for Chinese companies producing “core medical device components” by 2025. The target is 70% for higher-end devices.
{The EU can now] impose various restrictions on firms seeking to participate in procurements, ranging from score adjustments in tenders to an outright ban from procurement contracts.
As an addition, we must note that the European Commission’s findings from its International Procurement Instruments (IPI) - published in January 2025, and commented, for example, by a law firm here. According to the investigation, China unfairly treated EU medical devices and suppliers in its public procurement, and the Chinese government did not contest these findings, noting (accurately) that it had not undertaken any international commitments on public procurement.