(1)

By Decision 2014/115/EU (2), the Council approved the Protocol amending the Agreement on Government Procurement (3) concluded within the framework of the World Trade Organization. The amended Agreement on Government Procurement (‘the Agreement’) is a plurilateral instrument and its purpose is to mutually open government procurement markets among its parties. The Agreement applies to any procurement contract with a value greater than or equal to the amounts (‘thresholds’) set therein and expressed in terms of special drawing rights.

(2)

One of the objectives of Directive 2014/24/EU is to allow the contracting authorities applying that Directive to comply at the same time with the obligations laid down in the Agreement. To ensure that the thresholds set in Article 4, points (a), (b) and (c), of Directive 2014/24/EU correspond to the thresholds set in the Agreement, the thresholds set in that Directive should be revised. In accordance with Article 6(2) of Directive 2014/24/EU, the thresholds set in Article 13 of that Directive should be aligned with the thresholds set out in Article 4, points (a) and (c), of that Directive.

(3)

Article 6(1) of Directive 2014/24/EU requires the Commission to revise the thresholds every two years, with effect from 1 January. Consequently, the thresholds for the years 2026 and 2027 should apply from 1 January 2026.

(4)

Directive 2014/24/EU should therefore be amended accordingly,

(1)

Article 4 is amended as follows:

(2)

in Article 13, the first paragraph is amended as follows: