European Consultation on the revision of the public procurement Directive

EPHA will be responding to the public consultation launched by DG MARKT on the Green Paper for the revision of the Public Procurement Directives 2004/17/EC and 2004/18/EC. The emphasis will be on how health and social objectives can be supported through responsible public procurement, and at what stage of the procurement process social objectives can best come into play. The submission deadline for responses is 18 April 2011.


Public procurement is facing important new challenges: high public deficits and the resulting need for the most efficient use of public money, but also the growing demand that procurement contributes to the achievement of overall societal goals, amongst them social objectives to include vulenerable groups and decrease inequalities.

The consultation launches a public debate on how the EU public procurement legislation could be updated in order to help public procurers cope with these challenges.

EPHA has been collaborating with our partner the Social Platform on issues related to SSGI (social services of general interest) as part of a Working Group, and EPHA’s letter will reinforce the more comprehensive response the Social Platform is preparing on behalf of its own members.

The consultation is designed to help the Commission make policy choices in its future legislative proposal. The submission deadline for responses is 18 April 2011.

For further information

- Consultation on the modernisation of EU public procurement policy – Towards a more efficient European procurement market
- Buying Social EU

Related articles
- Report on Social Platform Working Group on Services of General Interest in the EU
- A new guide to green procurement in Europe

Last modified on March 21 2011.