Euromontana recently contributed to the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU Public Procurement Directive to share the voice of mountain communities.

While we acknowledge that the Directive promotes open competition within the single market, we also stress in our contribution that current frameworks do not sufficiently support local economies or environmental sustainability, particularly when it comes to food procurement.

Agriculture is a key pilar of our mountain economies, and mountain food products are high-quality, produced through extensive and sustainable farming practices. Yet, many mountain farming faces issues linked to low farm income and poor generational renewal. We believe that public procurement policies should better support local producers as part of local and sustainable food systems.

In October 2024, mountain stakeholders from across Europe gathered in Puigcerdà to shape the future of mountain economies. Their demands, outlined in the Puigcerdà Declaration, included improving access to mountain food partly by rethinking public procurement. Building on their message, we called on the European Commission to facilitate preferential treatment for local producers, strengthen local economies, and foster sustainable food systems. We also advocated for making it easier for small farmers to participate in public tenders, even if they can only bid on portions of larger contracts.

This aligns with the recently published EU’s Vision on Agriculture and Food, which calls for stronger measures to promote local, high-quality, and sustainable food through public procurement.