The European Union will introduce new requirements prioritizing EU-made and low-carbon goods in public procurement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday.

Speaking in Antwerp, von der Leyen said the move is aimed at strengthening European industry and ensuring that public funds better support companies within the bloc.

“Too often, our public buyers have to take the subsidized foreign products, instead of the high-quality European alternatives. That is home-grown value we are leaving on the table,” she said.

The new rules will form a central pillar of the Industrial Accelerator Act, which the European Commission is set to present later this month. The initiative is designed to reshape procurement practices across the EU by setting standards that favor goods produced within the bloc and those meeting low-carbon criteria.