EU Military Forces: EU leaders aim for December re: defence cooperation

EU leaders agreed on Thursday (19 October) at their summit in Brussels to launch the beefed-up defense cooperation among EU countries by December.

The conclusions of the summit encourage participating member states of so-called Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) to notify the council and high commissioner Federica Mogherini of their intention to join. The aim is, among other things, to pool resources, and launch joint procurements.

Read more: EU leaders aim for December for defence cooperation

China's procurement practices 'unfair'

Business leaders in Europe have accused China of having unfair procurement practices that exclude foreign companies and lead to corrupt officials.

In a study released this week, the European Chamber of Commerce in China said favoritism and opaque bidding laws mean public projects tend to go to local firms.  This is in spite of repeated pledges from Beijing to make it easier for foreign companies to get contracts. Public procurement in China totals around $1 trillion (£0.6 trillion), the study went on to say, or around one-fifth of the total economy.

"The regulatory framework for government procurement in China is a drag on efficiency and innovation for the Chinese economy as a whole," said the report.

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