Public Procurement and the Circular Economy

Abstract

The European Union adopted the Circular Economy Package at the end of 2015 and two directives part of European Public Procurement Reform in 2014, which was to be implemented by the Member States by April 2016. Both of them have significant effect on the EU econ omy and are strongly connected to the concept of green public procurement (GPP). „Public authorities are major consumers in Europe: they spend approximately 1.8 trillion euro annually, representing around 14 % of the EU’s gross domestic product. By using their purchasing power to choose goods and services with lower impacts on the environment, they can make an important contribution to sustainable consumption and production”(GPP Europe). The aim of this paper is to examine the connection between the possibilities provided by the new public procurement directives (2014/24/EU, 2014/25/EU) for greening procurement and the program of the Circular Economy Action Plan. In the followings the Circular Economy Action Plan will be described and the concept of GPP linked to ecolabeling. In the discussion phase possibilities provided by the public procurement directives will be highlighted among with the comparative analyses of GPP criteria and the circular economy phases.