After years of intensive pressure from trade unions and progressive European politicians, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen finally agreed that the EU’s directive on Public Procurement should be revised.

BUT, it is crucial that the revision of the controversial directive is made in a socially responsible way. That is the common message from the Danish and Swedish LEFT- group politicians shadowing the work on the Public Procurement reform, Per Clausen and Hanna Gedin.

The two Nordic politicians will lead the work of the Left group on the upcoming report from the European Parliament on how the actual revision of the outdated directive should look like in practice.

Hanna Gedin from Sweden’s Vänsterpartiet will be the Left group’s shadow on the work in the European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee (IMCO).  Danish Per Clausen from Enhedslisten will at the same time be the groups shadow in the Employment and Social Affairs Committee (EMPL).

The potential of a socially responsible reform is huge. Public procurement in the EU accounts for 14% of our combined GDP. Imagine if those money were put to better use, and could only be awarded to companies playing by the rules and treating their workers as the should, says Per Clausen from Denmark.

Last year, five people died at a construction site in Stockholm when an elevator collapsed. Workers who left home in the morning never to return to their families. There were 119 subcontractors on that construction. This is a matter of life and death. We must put an end to the long chains of subcontractors in public procurement, says Hanna Gedin.

A pledge for close cooperation

The two Left shadows pledges to have close cooperation on public procurement reform with each other, as well as with their other group colleagues who will also work on the issue.

We will stand should to shoulder on this issue, and fight hard for a socially responsible reform that benefits workers’ rights over shareholders’ benefits, say Per Clausen.

With this reform, we have a unique opportunity to let public money work better for everyone – and we will fight to ensure the EU stops using money on companies that abuse workers, finishes Hanna Gedin

More on the story

You can read more about the context and issues relating to the Public Procurement revision here:

• Agence Europe, 19. December: Exploitation of workers – MEPs concerned about abuses of subcontracting