Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries

The European Commission, specifically the Directorate-General for Trade (DG TRADE), is preparing to release a call for tenders related to a Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) aimed at supporting Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The GCC consists of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The SIA will perform a detailed ex-ante analysis focused on assessing the possible economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts of the trade negotiations. The results are intended to inform policy formulation during negotiations, ensuring a coherent approach between trade liberalization and the EU's sustainability and human rights objectives.

The procedure identifier for this opportunity is EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0013-PIN, and the TED reference is 95/2025 319801-2025. The anticipated publication date for the contract notice is June 12, 2025, with the TED publication date set for May 19, 2025. The estimated total value of the contract is €500,000, and the maximum duration for the contract is 15 months. The primary classification code for the tender, according to Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV), is 79311400, which relates to economic research services.

Eligible applicants may include research institutes, universities, consulting firms, and organizations with expertise in trade policy, sustainability assessments, and impact evaluation. The nature of the support will involve financial compensation for the rendering of services related to the SIA.

As of now, details regarding consortium requirements, exact application stages, success rates, or co-funding requirements have not been disclosed. A question and answer section will be available to provide clarity on procurement documents and other inquiries once the tender process is launched. This call for tenders is designed to attract organizations capable of delivering high-quality assessments that will support the EU's negotiation agenda with the GCC countries and contribute to sustainable development objectives. Interested parties are encouraged to follow the EU's tender platforms for updates on the full tender documents and submission details.

The European Commission, DG TRADE - Trade, has announced a planned call for tenders for a Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries (Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and UAE). The procedure identifier is EC-TRADE/2025/OP/0013-PIN. The TED reference is 95/2025 319801-2025.

This DG TRADE-specific tool, the Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA), is described as an ex-ante analysis of the potential economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts of a trade negotiation. The goal is to facilitate a better policy mix and coherence between trade liberalization and the EU's policy objectives of sustainable development and respect for human rights. The SIA will cover FTA negotiations between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Countries. The assessment will provide information to help steer the negotiations, identify trade-offs, and ensure that related policy choices are optimized.

The procedure type is a planned call for tenders with OJ S publication. The estimated total value is 500,000 EUR. The TED publication date was 19/05/2025. The estimated date of publication of a contract notice is 12/06/2025. The main classification (CPV) code is 79311400, which refers to economic research services. The nature of the contract is for services. The maximum contract duration is 15 months. No framework agreement is mentioned.

A question and answer section is available online. The answer to the question "Where can I find the procurement documents of this call for tenders?" states that the planned call for tenders announces the intention of the contracting authority to publish a future call for tenders and that no other information or documents other than those published are available. This answer was published on 16/02/2024 23:54.

In summary, this is a pre-announcement of a forthcoming tender opportunity from the European Commission's DG TRADE. The project involves conducting a Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) to evaluate the potential impacts of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. The SIA will analyze economic, social, environmental, and human rights aspects to ensure that the trade agreement aligns with the EU's sustainability goals. The estimated budget is 500,000 EUR, and the contract duration is expected to be 15 months. The official contract notice is expected to be published around June 12, 2025. Companies specializing in economic research and sustainability assessments should monitor the EU's official tendering platforms for the release of the full tender documents.

Eligible Applicant Types: The information provided does not explicitly state the eligible applicant types. However, given the nature of the call for tenders which is related to economic research services, it is likely that eligible applicants could include research institutes, universities, consulting firms, and other organizations with expertise in trade, sustainability, and impact assessment.

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

Consortium Requirement: The information provided does not explicitly state whether a consortium is required or if a single applicant is sufficient. This detail will likely be specified in the full call for tenders documentation when it is released.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated. Given that it is an EU initiative related to trade agreements, it is highly probable that entities based in the EU and potentially EEA countries are eligible. The full call for tenders documentation should clarify this.

Target Sector: The target sector is trade, specifically related to sustainability impact assessment (SIA) in the context of free trade agreements (FTAs). This also touches on areas of economics, social and environmental impacts, and human rights.

Mentioned Countries: Bahrain, KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and UAE (United Arab Emirates). These countries are part of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Project Stage: The project stage is ex-ante analysis, meaning it is focused on research and assessment before the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement. This falls under the research and assessment phase.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of the call for tenders is 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 services rendered, specifically for conducting the Sustainability Impact Assessment.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, given that it is a call for tenders, it is likely to involve multiple stages, including submission of a proposal, evaluation, and contract award.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The provided text does not mention any co-funding requirements.

Summary:

This is a planned call for tenders by the European Commission, DG TRADE, for a Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, which include Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and UAE. The purpose of the SIA is to analyze the potential economic, social, environmental, and human rights impacts of the FTA to inform and optimize policy choices during the negotiations. The estimated total value of the contract is 500,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 15 months. The call for tenders is expected to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union Supplement (OJ S) around June 12, 2025, with the TED publication date being May 19, 2025. The selected contractor will provide economic research services to assess the impacts of the trade agreement. The call is aimed at organizations with expertise in trade policy, sustainability assessment, and economic research. The main classification according to CPV (Common Procurement Vocabulary) is 79311400, which stands for economic research services.