BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Commission has opened an investigation into China’s acquisition of medical devices to determine whether European companies have fair access to the market, the Official Journal of the European Union said on Wednesday.

This is the first time that an investigation has been triggered on the basis of the IMPI (International Public Procurement Instrument) regulation of June 2022 which allows the European executive to investigate suspicions of obstruction of access to markets of third countries and to enter into consultation with them.

Brussels may, at the end of this investigation expected to last at least nine months, decide to restrict the access of Chinese manufacturers of medical devices to public markets in the EU.

The opening of this procedure takes place in a context of toughening trade relations between the EU and China, its largest economic partner.

The Dutch and Polish offices of a Chinese security equipment company were raided on Tuesday as part of an investigation into possible breaches of regulations on foreign subsidies.

Brussels also launched an investigation last October into imported Chinese electric vehicles and is looking into subsidies received by Chinese manufacturers of wind turbines and photovoltaic panels.

“For some time now, the European Union has frequently resorted to economic and trade measures (…) which send protectionist signals, target Chinese companies and tarnish the image of the EU,” Wang said on Wednesday. Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the announcement of this new investigation.

“The EU has always prided itself on being the most open market in the world, but what the outside world clearly sees is the EU moving step by step towards protectionism,” he said. he adds.

Several measures supporting suspicions of favoritism are cited in the notice published in the Official Journal, including the “buy in China” policy, restrictions on purchases of imported goods and conditions in the centralized acquisition of medical devices, by hospitals in particular. , “leading to abnormally low bids that cannot be sustained by for-profit companies.”

“According to the Commission’s preliminary assessment, the above-mentioned measures and practices result in a serious and recurrent de jure and de facto obstacle to the access of Union economic operators, products and services to public procurement of medical devices in (China)”, we can read.

The Commission invites the GOC “to present its views and provide relevant information regarding the alleged measures and practices” and to “engage in consultations (…) in order to eliminate the alleged measures and practices or to remediate”.

(Philip Blenkinsop, with Joe Cash, Jean-Stéphane Brosse for the , edited by Blandine Hénault)

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