From legislative alignment to professionalisation: EU4PFM outlined achievements and set course for 2026 in Public Procurement
On 3 February, the fifth Steering Committee meeting of the EU4PFM Public Procurement Component took place. The meeting focused on reviewing progress in aligning Ukrainian legislation with EU requirements and on defining strategic priorities for 2026.
The meeting brought together representatives of the EU4PFM Procurement Component, Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, the Accounting Chamber, and the State Audit Service. Experts from the European Commission, the EU Delegation to Ukraine, and the Central Project Management Agency (CPMA) also joined to discuss the results.
Eriks Mezalis, Team Leader of the Procurement Component, thanked partners for their resilience and commitment to reforms in wartime conditions. Among the key achievements of the second half of 2025, Mr Mezalis highlighted:
- European integration vector: a comprehensive analysis was conducted for the draft Law “On Public Procurement” as well as for legislation on Public-Private Partnerships and Concessions o measure their level of compliance with the EU acquis. Proposals for improvement were prepared.
- International Perspective: Ukraine’s active participation in the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) Committee was ensured.
- Procurement efficiency: the role of centralised procurement organisations (CPOs) was further strengthened. A landmark event was the forum “Prozorro Market: Efficiency and EU Alignment”, held in November 2025.
- Expert support: systematic methodological assistance was provided to the Ministry of Economy and to thousands of contracting authorities across the country.
In the welcome address Anna Artemenko, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment and Agriculture, thanked the team for its support and added: “Despite the war, we have managed to achieve substantial results together. With regard to primary legislation, we highly appreciate the more than 40 expert notes provided on the new draft Law on Public Procurement, as well as on the PPPs and Concessions legislation. These contributions are instrumental to our continued improvement of the legislative framework and further alignment with the EU public procurement acquis.”
“Public procurement is a core and integral part of EU integration. It is no coincidence that public procurement falls within the EU accession cluster of fundamentals. I am particularly pleased to see the progress achieved on the legislative stream, and I hope that the new Public Procurement Law will soon be adopted by the Parliament. The legislative agenda remains highly ambitious. Under the Ukraine Plan, there are commitments to achieve full alignment with the EU acquis by Q3 2027,” stated Henrik Huitfeldt, Head of Sector for Public Finance, Business Support and Social Policies at the EU Delegation to Ukraine. “Significant work still needs to be carried out across all procurement streams, including utilities and defence procurement, which is high on the agenda. Colleagues at the European Commission are following developments in this area very closely. Of the EUR 90 billion loan package, EUR 60 billion will be allocated to support procurement for the defence industry. It is therefore essential to ensure that these funds are used in a transparent and fair way.”
Priorities for 2026: what’s next?
The next phase of work will focus on five key areas:
- Assistance in the further alignment of the procurement. PPP and Concessions legislation with the EU acquis
- Capacity building assistance to Partner Institutions
- Assistance to Partner Institutions regarding implementation of the EU and Ukraine’s procurement policy priorities
- Support to improve monitoring, control and oversight in the field of procurement
- Further support for the procurement professionalisation reform
Coordinated support under the EU4PFM Procurement Component will continue to contribute to building a transparent and efficient public procurement system aligned with EU standards.
