Brussels, 10 September 2025 — The Signatories of the Luxembourg Declaration on Public Procurement — the Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE), the European Council of Engineers Chambers (ECEC), o Ordre des Architectes et des Ingénieurs-Conseils (OAI), e o European Federation of Engineering Consultancy Associations (EFCA) — met in Brussels with Valentina Schaumburger, member of the Cabinet of Stéphane Séjourné, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, and with Lucia Martinez Lorenzo, representative of DG GROW, Unit for Public Procurement.

The meeting focused on the upcoming review of the EU Public Procurement Directive and offered a valuable opportunity to present and advocate for the priorities outlined in the Luxembourg Declaration.

Diego Zoppi, ACE Executive Board Member, commented:
“Together with representatives from OAI, EFCA, and ECEC, I was pleased to hand over the Luxembourg Declaration on Public Procurement to Ms. Valentina Schaumburger. In the context of the forthcoming revision of the EU Public Procurement Directive, ACE and its partners are calling for an ambitious reform. We strongly appeal to the European institutions to legally and practically ensure that qualidade, not price, becomes the guiding principle for architectural and engineering services procurement.”

Key Priorities of the Luxembourg Declaration:

Strengthen the internal market with clear, overarching public procurement rules that move beyond lowest-price criteria.

Recognise the specific nature of intellectual services such as architecture and engineering.

Promote quality- and innovation-oriented procurement procedures.

Improve access to public procurement for SMEs and new market entrants.

This high-level exchange marks a significant step in ensuring that the upcoming revision of the Public Procurement Directive supports a more sustainable, innovative, and fair procurement ecosystem across Europe.

ACE warmly thanks Valentina Schaumburger and Lucia Martinez Lorenzo for their time and constructive dialogue.

🔗 Read the full Luxembourg Declaration on Public Procurement
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