EC sends 21 member States a letter of formal notice to comply with EU Public Procurement directives

May 30, 2016  |  Europe, Procurement

The European Commission has today requested 21 Member States to transpose in full one or more of the three directives on public procurement and concessions (Directives 2014/23/EC, 2014/24/EC, 2014/25/EC) into national law. All Member States were obliged to notify the transposition of the new public procurement rules by 18 April 2016.

The Commission’s request takes the form of a letter of formal notice and it has been sent to Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Ireland, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Finland, Spain and Sweden.

The letters refer to the three directives on public procurement and concessions, adopted in 2014, meant to make the process more efficient and transparent. “Authorities that have already made the transition to e-procurement report savings between five per cent and 20 per cent. With EU Member States spending yearly more than 1.9 trillion euro for procurement, each five per cent saved could return almost 100 billion euro to the public purse,” the Commission said.

The new rules make it easier and cheaper for small and medium enterprises to bid for public contracts and respect the EU’s principles of transparency and competition. Increased transparency improves accountability and helps combat corruption. The rules also allow the authorities to use public procurement to work towards broader policy objectives, such as environmental and social goals and innovation.
For more information, see an Overview of the new EU procurement and concession rules introduced on 18 April 2016.


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