📋 Tender Overview
The European Commission and the High Representative have today reported on political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region covering 2021.The report highlights that in 2021 the way in which the one country two systems principle was implemented undermined the political rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Macao.The annual report refers in particular to the increasing challenges for Macaos media to express a broad range of views and the practice of more and more self-censorship. The election of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR which took place on 12 September had the lowest level since the handover in 1999. Before the election for the first time the authorities in Macao disqualified 21 candidates for not pledging allegiance to the SAR or supporting the Basic Law.The report points out that fighting the pandemic and supporting the economy remained the governments key priorities in 2021.The Macao government has exercised stringent control on the spread of COVID-19 to ensure quarantine-free travel with Mainland China. The ongoing travel restrictions have continued to prevent officials from the EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao from visiting Macao. This has hindered the Offices work and limited contacts with SAR government officials and others.The European Union remained Macaos second-largest trading partner in goods after Mainland China. This accounted for 29 of the SARs total trade in the first 10 months of 2021. The bilateral trade is dominated by the European Union around 32 of Macaos imports originated in the European Union.The European Union remained excluding offshore centres Macaos fourth-largest source of foreign investment in 2020 after Hong Kong Mainland China and the US. According to Macanese statistics the European Union accounted for 4.6 of the total foreign direct investment stock in 2020.BackgroundSince the handover of Macao to China in 1999 the European Union and its Member States have been closely following political and economic developments in the Macao Special Administrative Region SAR under the one country two systems principle. The European Union adheres to its one China policy and supports the one country two systems principle and its implementation in Macao.This annual report on developments in Macao is issued in line with the commitment given to the European Parliament in 1997.
