China Observatory: Monitoring of China’s economic policy and developments affecting the economic relations between the EU and China: development and maintenance of a foreign direct investment database

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE) has announced a planned call for tenders identified as EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0031-PIN. This opportunity is focused on the "China Observatory," aimed at monitoring China's economic policies and developments that affect economic relations between the EU and China. The tender will involve the development and maintenance of a foreign direct investment database and is categorized under economic research services, specifically with the Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV) code 79311400.

The estimated total value of the contract is €1,500,000, with a maximum duration of 48 months. There is no mention of a framework agreement associated with this tender. A preliminary publication date in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJ S) is set for November 24, 2025, following an earlier TED publication date of October 23, 2025.

The procurement process does not currently allow submissions, but interested parties can subscribe to notifications regarding the opportunity. Eligibility for applicants has not been explicitly stated, but applicants with expertise in areas such as economic research, foreign direct investment analysis, and policy monitoring relevant to EU-China relations are likely encouraged to apply.

The procurement will be structured as a services contract rather than a grant opportunity, meaning selected contractors will be compensated for providing specified services rather than receiving funding to pursue their own projects. While the specific types of eligible applicants are not detailed, they may include consulting firms, research organizations, and other specialized entities capable of undertaking complex data management tasks.

The project reflects a mature operational stage involving continuous monitoring of economic policies rather than exploratory research. Given the budget and the task's complexity, it is anticipated that only technically capable organizations will be interested, as small and medium-sized enterprises are not explicitly suited for this tender according to the defined indicators.

Overall, this call for tenders signifies an intention by the European Commission to engage professional service providers for critical intelligence-gathering functions regarding economic interactions with China, reflecting their ongoing focus on international trade relations. The full details, eligibility criteria, and proposal submission processes will be clarified in the forthcoming formal tender documents.

The European Commission, DG TRADE - Trade, has announced a planned call for tenders with the procedure identifier EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0031-PIN. The call for tenders is titled "China Observatory: Monitoring of China’s economic policy and developments affecting the economic relations between the EU and China: development and maintenance of a foreign direct investment database". The main classification (CPV) code is 79311400, which refers to Economic research services. The nature of the contract is for services. The estimated total value of the contract is 1,500,000 EUR. The maximum contract duration is 48 months. No framework agreement is mentioned. The TED publication date is 23/10/2025, and the estimated date of publication of a contract notice is 24/11/2025. The TED reference is 204/2025 700444-2025. The procedure type is a planned call for tenders with OJ S publication.

A question was asked regarding where to find the procurement documents for this call for tenders. The answer provided states that the planned call for tenders announces the intention of the contracting authority to publish a future call for tenders, and no other information or documents other than those published are available. This question was published on 17/02/2024 at 00:54.

In summary, this is a planned call for tenders by the European Commission, DG TRADE, focused on monitoring China's economic policy and its impact on EU-China economic relations. The project involves developing and maintaining a foreign direct investment database. The estimated budget is 1.5 million EUR, and the contract duration is up to 48 months. The call for tenders is expected to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union Supplement (OJ S). The contract notice is expected around November 24, 2025. Currently, no procurement documents are available, as the call is still in the planning phase.

Eligible Applicant Types: The opportunity details do not explicitly specify eligible applicant types. However, given the nature of the call for tenders which is focused on economic research services, eligible applicants could include research institutes, universities, consulting firms, economic research organizations, or other entities with expertise in economic policy analysis, foreign direct investment, and EU-China economic relations.

Funding Type: This is a procurement opportunity, specifically a call for tenders. The nature of the contract is for services.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity details do not explicitly state whether a single applicant or a consortium is required. This information will likely be available when the full call for tenders is published.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The opportunity focuses on the economic relationship between the EU and China. While the geographic eligibility for applicants is not explicitly stated, it is highly likely that applicants from EU member states will be eligible. It is possible that entities from other countries may also be eligible, depending on the specific requirements outlined in the full call for tenders.

Target Sector: The target sector is economic research, specifically focusing on monitoring China’s economic policy and developments affecting the economic relations between the EU and China. This includes the development and maintenance of a foreign direct investment database.

Mentioned Countries: China, EU member states.

Project Stage: The project stage involves the development and maintenance of a foreign direct investment database, suggesting a development and maintenance phase. The project requires monitoring of economic policies, indicating an ongoing operational aspect.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of this call for tenders is 1,500,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is a planned call for tenders with OJ S publication (Official Journal of the European Union, Supplement).

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for providing services, specifically monitoring China's economic policy and maintaining a foreign direct investment database.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned in the provided details. Typically, a call for tenders involves multiple stages, including submission of a proposal, evaluation, and contract negotiation.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided details, as this is a planned call for tenders.

Co-funding Requirement: The opportunity details do not explicitly state whether co-funding is required. This information will likely be available when the full call for tenders is published.

Summary:

This opportunity is a planned call for tenders by the European Commission, DG TRADE, focusing on monitoring China's economic policy and its impact on EU-China economic relations. The project aims to develop and maintain a foreign direct investment database. The estimated total value of the contract is 1,500,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 48 months. The call for tenders is expected to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union, Supplement (OJ S). The TED publication date was 23/10/2025, and the estimated date of publication of a contract notice is 24/11/2025. The lead contracting authority is the European Commission, DG TRADE. The main classification according to CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) is 79311400, which refers to economic research services. The nature of the contract is for services. The opportunity is targeted towards entities with expertise in economic research, policy analysis, and foreign direct investment. The actual call for tenders documents will provide more details on eligibility criteria, application procedures, and evaluation criteria.