DG REGIO Peer2Peer Public Procurement: third meeting in 2026 with in the framework of international cooperation

The meeting began with the introduction of key participants, including representatives of DG REGIO, PwC, and the so-called Community Champions – group leaders who present topics jointly selected with participants and set the direction of the group’s work.

The Community Champions include:

• a representative of CEUTP (Department of Control and Audit) – Przemysław Ostrowski;
• a representative of the Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria – Kristina Vasileva;
• a representative of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Bulgaria – Yasen Markov;
• a representative of the Audit Authority from Croatia – Antonija Ćurić.

In the first part of the meeting, Przemysław Ostrowski from CEUTP presented the latest case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union concerning public procurement, in particular Case C-812/24 (LIPOR, PreZero Portugal vs Semural Waste & Energy, S.A.), regarding documents submitted by an entity whose resources are relied upon by a tenderer to demonstrate fulfilment of participation requirements.

Recent publications and updates from institutions involved in the public procurement system were also presented, including:

• a publication of the Polish Public Procurement Office on price indexation clauses, with examples of such clauses in public procurement contracts;
• information on a decision of the European Commission issued under the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), confirming that the Portuguese subsidiary of the Chinese contractor CRRC received foreign subsidies that distorted competition and enabled the submission of an unduly advantageous tender in a procedure launched by Metropolitano de Lisboa E.P.E. The bid was submitted by a consortium consisting of Mota-Engil Engenharia e Construção, S.A (leader) and CRRC Tangshan Rolling Stock Unipessoal LDA (member and planned rolling stock supplier).

Przemysław Ostrowski also presented examples from recent case law of the Polish National Appeal Chamber (KIO 3331/25), as well as decisions of Italian authorities (Consiglio di Stato, Sez. V, 05.05.2026 No. 3476 and Corte Costituzionale, 30.04.2026 No. 60) and Spanish courts (El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Andalucía No. 3945/2026), which influence public procurement systems in those countries.

In the next part of the meeting, Antonija Ćurić presented a decision issued by the Croatian State Commission for Supervision of Public Procurement Procedures (DRŽAVNA KOMISIJA ZA KONTROLU POSTUPAKA JAVNE NABAVE), interpreting key judgments of the Court of Justice of the EU in cases DYKA Plastics (C-424/23) and Sof Medica (C-568/24) regarding equivalence requirements in procurement specifications.

The final part of the meeting demonstrated how collaborative work with in the group, using interactive tools such as Mural, supports capacity building and knowledge exchange on the use of artificial intelligence both in public procurement procedures and their control. Participants also discussed the current state of legislative work in this area across EU Member States, as well as practical possibilities of using available AI tools in daily work.

The event once again confirmed that the Peer2Peer initiative is an interactive, valuable and rapidly developing platform for knowledge and experience exchange among public administration staff in the European Union. The meetings within this community will continue, driven both by the need for ongoing exchange of information on public procurement – including case law, publications and practical experience – and by the aim of continuously improving participants’ knowledge and skills.

An important element of future meetings will also be the topic of the practical use of artificial intelligence in public procurement. This objective will be supported by the upcoming joint meeting of the Public Procurement group with the Digital and e-Cohesion Community.