The European Commission has kicked off the first review of its Foreign Subsidies Regulation. Three years after the law started to apply, it aims to find out if the rules do a good job of ensuring fair conditions on the European market.
The Commission launched a public consultation and a call for evidence, giving Member States, companies, and other stakeholders until 18 November 2025 to share their views. The report will then examine how the rules are working, from assessing subsidies that distort competition to streamlining complex procedures and costs for companies.
Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera said the exercise was a chance to “take stock” of how the law has worked so far and explore “possible improvements” to better tackle distortions caused by foreign subsidies, while keeping red tape to a minimum.
The stakes are high
Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, stressed the stakes in public procurement, worth around 15% of the EU’s GNP, and called for a system that is “fair and not distorted by subsidies coming from third countries,” but also “as unbureaucratic and transparent as possible.”
Findings will be presented to the European Parliament and the Council by July 2026, with possible legislative tweaks on the table.
