18 April, Brussels – New Public Procurement rules have come into force, aiming to simplify procedures for public administrations and companies to promote Green Growth through their purchasing decisions.
Under the new rules, public authorities will be allowed to prioritise environmental requirements in their contracts in order to support public policy objectives and growth in eco-innovative businesses. In the EU, 14% of GDP is spent by public authorities on procurement, making such procurement criteria influential in changing business behaviour.
The changes, introduced under the 2014 Procurement Directive, allow public authorities to request that bidders meet high environmental standards, such as meeting requirements of the EU eco-label, using energy efficient machinery and including environmental costs in their bids, based on Life Cycle Assessments. Companies can be excluded from bidding if they are not compliant with environmental law.
For more information, see the Statement from the European Commission.