03 Jun 2026
New report urges stronger EU rules to boost innovation procurement
A new expert report finds that innovation procurement in Europe remains significantly underused compared with other major economies, citing weak incentives in the EU legal framework as a key reason.
The report examines legal barriers that continue to limit the wider adoption of innovation procurement across EU Member States. It compares the European situation with international approaches in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Japan and South Korea, highlighting how other regions have addressed similar challenges more effectively.
Based on this analysis, the experts propose a set of concrete legal measures to close gaps in Europe’s current framework and encourage broader use of public procurement as a driver of innovation. The report argues that a more ambitious legal and policy approach is needed if Europe wants to strengthen competitiveness and accelerate the uptake of innovative solutions in the public sector. Its recommendations are intended to support ongoing EU policy initiatives, including the Startup and Scale-up Strategy, the planned EU Innovation Act and the upcoming revision of the EU public procurement directives.
In addition to the main findings, the report includes case studies, relevant EU case law, a list of experts and individual country reports covering the state of play in 33 countries.
The report can be downloaded here:
Overcoming legal barriers for the uptake of innovation procurement in the EU