Source: http://parltrack.euwiki.org/dossier/2009/2175(INI)
Timestamp: 2018-03-23 12:56:33
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Matched Legal Cases: ['CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ', 'Art. 9', 'CJEU ', 'CJEU ']

2009/2175(INI) | ParlTrack
New developments in public procurement 2009/2175(INI)
IMCO INTA REGI
Lead Rapporteur RÜHLE Heide (Verts/ALE)
Opinion Rapporteur(s) HANDZLIK Małgorzata (EPP) VLASÁK Oldřich (ECR)
Lead committee dossier: IMCO/7/01142
Lead IMCO RÜHLE Heide (Verts/ALE) ENGEL Frank (EPP), VERGNAUD Bernadette (S&D), CREUTZMANN Jürgen (ALDE), HARBOUR Malcolm (ECR), SALVINI Matteo (EFD)
Opinion INTA HANDZLIK Małgorzata (EPP)
T7-0173/2010 summary
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on new developments in public procurement. It notes that the 2004 revision of the public procurement directives (Directives 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC) was intended to simplify and modernise the relevant procedures, and deplores the fact that the aims of the 2004 revision have not yet been achieved, particularly with regard to the simplification of procurement rules and the creation of more legal certainty. Members express the hope, however, that the most recent judgments handed down by the CJEU will help to resolve the outstanding legal issues and that the number of appeal procedures will fall. They call on the Commission actively to pursue the aims of simplifying the public procurement procedure in any review of the European rules. Parliament also deplores the fact that the existing regulations - in combination with incomplete implementation measures at national and regional level, the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission, and the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European and national courts - have given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating serious legal problems that can no longer be overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice. It urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the 'Better Lawmaking' initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals, to restrict such proposals to key aspects and to assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, taking into account the five principles set out in the 2001 White Paper on European Governance (openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence). Members point out that as a result of this development public procurers often have to prioritise legal certainty above policy needs and, given the pressure on public budgets, frequently have to award the contract or service in question to the cheapest offer rather than the most economically advantageous tender. They are afraid that this will weaken the EU's innovative base and they urge the Commission to remedy this situation. The resolution emphasises that European initiatives in the area of public procurement must be coordinated more effectively in order to avoid jeopardising consistency with the public procurement directives or creating legal problems for those applying the rules. It calls, therefore, for compulsory coordination measures within the Commission. Members criticise the lack of transparency with regard to the composition and work of the Commission's internal advisory committee on public procurement (ACPP) and the role and competencies of the Advisory Committee on the Opening-Up of Public Procurement (CCO). They also stress that public contracts must be awarded under transparent conditions. The Commission is asked to carry out an ex-post assessment of the public procurement directives, taking account of the opinions expressed here, and Members expect that review to be carried out with the full involvement of all stakeholders and in close cooperation with the European Parliament. Any revision must take account of the whole framework and encompass the directive on review procedures concerning the award of public contracts as well as an analysis of the national laws transposing the directive on review procedures, in order to prevent any further fragmentation of public procurement law. Parliament goes on to give its views on recent case law regarding public-public cooperation, service concessions, the matter of the application of procurement law to institutionalised public-private partnerships, town planning/urban development, and procurement below the threshold. On green procurement, Members stress that public authorities should be empowered to base public procurement on environmental, social and other criteria. They reiterate their call for the Commission to produce a handbook on pre-commercial procurement, which should illustrate practical examples of risk-benefit sharing according to market conditions. Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises: Members ask the Commission to evaluate the impact of the public procurement directives on these enterprises, especially in their role as sub-contractors, and to assess whether we need further rules on the award of sub-contracts, specifically to avoid SMEs as subcontractors being subject to worse conditions than the main contractor awarded the public contract. They also call on the Commission to simplify public procurement procedures in order to relieve both local governments and companies from spending a large amount of time and money on purely bureaucratic matters. Members note that SMEs have struggled to gain access to public procurement markets and that more should be done to develop an 'SME strategy'. The Commission is also asked to secure the inclusion, in the renegotiated WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), of a clause enabling the EU to give preference to SMEs when awarding public contracts, along the lines of those already applied by other States Parties to this agreement. Socially responsible procurement: Parliament emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement, and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals. It draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Treaty, and calls on the Commission to devise guidelines or other practical assistance in connection with sustainable procurement. Practical help: Members call for the development of a frequently updated database of standards, especially those relating to environmental and social criteria, to be made available to public authorities. They also urge Member States and the Commission to use the existing resources and mechanisms at their disposal, such as the peer reviews envisaged in the Services Directive, to encourage small teams of procurement experts from one region to review the activities of another EU region, which may help to build confidence and establish best practices across different Member States. The resolution also urges the organisation of training courses and campaigns to raise awareness among local authorities and policy-makers, and to include other stakeholders, in particular providers of social services. Regional development: Parliament stresses the need to revise the various sets of rules applicable to public procurement in order to unify them and simplify the whole legal framework, in particular with a view to reducing the risk of errors and ensuring more efficient use of the Structural Funds. International trade: while arguing strongly against protectionist measures in the field of public procurement at global level, Parliament firmly believes in the principle of reciprocity and proportionality in that area. It calls on the Commission to consider imposing proportional targeted restrictions on access to parts of the EU's procurement markets for those trading partners which benefit from the openness of the EU market, but have not shown any intention of opening up their own markets to EU companies, in order to encourage our partners to offer reciprocal and proportional market access arrangements for European companies. Lastly, it calls on the Commission to evaluate the possibility of incorporating into public procurement agreements with international partners provisions requiring compliance with the fundamental human rights obligations laid down in conventions and international agreements.
2010/05/10 Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading
IMCO IMCO/7/01142 RÜHLE Heide Verts/ALE
INTA HANDZLIK Małgorzata EPP
2010/03/25 Deadline Amendments
2010/02/05 Committee draft report
PE438.513
Committee draft report: PE438.513
Committee report tabled for plenary, single reading: A7-0151/2010
Decision by Parliament, 1st reading/single reading: T7-0173/2010
179 2009/2175(INI) New developments in public procurement
2010/02/02 REGI 22 amendments...
Heide RÜHLE, Sabine VERHEYEN, Peter SIMON
1. Points out that although local and regional authorities are amongst Europe’s largest purchasers and therefore play an essential role in implementing public procurement rules, there is a general lack of legal expertise complexity of the rules on competition law and procurement law means that there is often a lack of expertise in the legal framework and its implementation, appropriate training and guidelines on procurement within sub- national authorities;
Oldřich VLASÁK, Heide RÜHLE, Sabine VERHEYEN, Peter SIMON
3. Considers that it is not only costs and complexity which can be prohibitive, but also the time needed to complete the public procurement process, not land the threast because theof legal action in the form of lengthy appeal procedures arethat are often obstructed by various actors, and hence welcomes the fact that the recovery plan makes it possible to apply accelerated versions of the procedures outlined in the public procurement directives to major public projects specifically in 2009 and 2010; calls on the Member States to supportmake use of the procedure and assist local authorities in using these new procedures, in each case in compliance with the standard public procurement rules and regulations;
3. Considers that it is not only costs and complexity which can be prohibitive, but also the time needed to complete the public procurement process, not least because the lengthy appeal procedures are obstructed by various actors, and hence welcomes the fact that the recovery plan makes it possible to apply accelerated versions of the procedures outlined in the public procurement directives to major public projects specifically in 2009 and 2010; calls on the Member States to support and assist local authorities innd regional authorities in implementing and using these new procedures, in each case in compliance with the standard public procurement rules and regulations;
3a. Calls on the Commission to examine the possibility of using, even beyond 2010, accelerated versions of procedures in connection with structural funds and an extension of the temporary increase in thresholds, with the specific aim of increasing investment;
4. Deplores the fact that in some cases Structural Fund allocations for infrastructure projects undertaken in the context of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and related contracts with private operators based on public procurement carried out at sub-national level have led to a loss of European Union subsidies previously available to fund infrastructure development; believes that it is vital to remove obstacles to and establish clear rules for PPPs if the European Union wants to have any chance of making the necessary investments in infrastructure and quality services; calls on the Commission to ensure that public procurement and Structural Fund implementation rules set a clearoherent framework for PPPs in order to create legal certainty for all stakeholders and reduce the pressure on public budgets, in the context of the principle of co-financing and in the aftermath of the global economic crisis;
4. Deplores the fact that in some cases Structural Fund allocations for infrastructure projects undertaken in the context of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and related contracts with private operators based on public procurement carried out at sub-national level have led to a loss of European Union subsidies previously available to fund infrastructure development; believes that it is vital to remove obstacles to and establish clear rules for PPPs if the European Union wants to have any chance of making the necessary investments in infrastructure and quality services; calls on the Commission to ensure that public procurement and Structural Fund implementation rules set a clear framework for PPPs in order to create legal certainty for all stakeholders and reduce the pressure on public budgets, in the context of the principle of co-financing and in the aftermath of the global economic crisis;
4. Deplores the fact that in some cases Structural Fund allocations for infrastructure projects undertaken in the context of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) and related contracts with private operators based on public procurement carried out at sub-national level have led to a loss of European Union subsidies previously available to fund infrastructure development; believes that it is vital to remove obstacles to and establish clear rules for PPPs if the European Union wants to have any chance of making the necessary investments in infrastructure and quality services; calls on the Commission to ensure that public procurement and Structural Fund implementation rules set a clear framework for PPPs in order to create legal certainty for all stakeholders and reduce the pressure on public budgets, in the context of the principle of co-financing and in the aftermath of the global economic crisis;(English version not affected)
5. Recognises the right of local and regional authorities to decide democratically on the best means of delivering public services, including decisions to use companies they own or control without any private partner being involved; believes that even without compulsory tendering inter-communal or other forms of public-public cooperation for service delivery should be accepted as a legitimate way of delivering in-house services and that sub-national actors should be able to assign tasks relating to public service provision to companies they own or control, provided that those companies do not compete on external markets; proposes that the Commission should assess whether there is any remaining legal uncertainty regarding the concepts of ‘public authority’ and ‘in- house services’ in the light of various judgments1 of the Court of Justice and, if necessary, take steps to clarify them so that the principle of subsidiarity is observed;.
5. Recognises the right of local and regional authorities to decide democratically on the best means of delivering public services, including decisions to use companies they own or control, with resort to state intervention only in cases of the general public interest; believes that even without compulsory tendering inter-communal cooperation for service delivery should be accepted as a legitimate way of delivering in-house services and that sub-national actors should be able to assign tasks relating to service provision to companies they own or control, provided that those companies do not compete on external markets; proposes that the Commission should assess whether there is any remaining legal uncertainty regarding the concepts of ‘public authority’ and ‘in- house services’ in the light of various judgments1 of the Court of Justice and, if necessary, take steps to clarify them so that the principle of subsidiarity is observed;
5a. Points out that the Commission’s initiatives concerning public procurement need to be better coordinated in order to avoid jeopardising coherence with European directives on public procurement and causing legal problems for operators; calls in this regard for better coordination within the European Commission, including a single website with clear structures to promote legislative transparency in this field;
6. Calls on the Commission to clarify the corresponding public procurement rules and revise the legal framework in order not to jeopardise the powers and right of local authorities to decide how they want to develop theirdraw up, in close cooperation with the European Parliament, the Council and regional and local government, the corresponding public procurement rules with sufficient clarity to enable contracting authorities clearly to identify which public works contracts and concessions are subject to award and thus distinguish between these and urban development projects for which therritorye is no obligation to award contracts.
6. Emphasises the difficulty in distinguishing public works contracts from public authorities’ town planning activities and endorses the concerns voiced by many local authorities in response to the interpretation of the rulings1 of the Court of Justice in the field of urban development; firmly believes that the operationally and legally strict application of public procurement rules might hinder urban development; calls on the Commission to clarify the corresponding public procurement rules and revise the legal framework in order not toso that land agreements can be facilitated between the public and private sector without the unnecessary requirement of having to award a tender and without jeopardiseing the powers and right of local authorities to decide how they want to develop their territory; awaits with great interest the decision of the Court of Justice in Case C-451/08; endorses the view of the Advocate-General of the Court of Justice delivered on 17 November 2009 in Case C-451/08: 'These broad and ambitious aims must be borne in mind when interpreting the Directive but it should not be assumed that, by appealing to the purpose of the measure, its scope can be extended indefinitely.' (paragraph 35); otherwise there is the risk 'that all town planning activities are subject to the Directive since, by definition, provisions on the possible execution of building works substantially alter the value of the land in question'.
2010/03/02 INTA 27 amendments...
1. Points out that the Internal Market and international markets are increasingly interlinked; considers, in this context, that legislators in the EU Internal Market and EU negotiators in the field of international trade should always be seeking to promote EU values, such as transparency, a principled stance against corruption and the advancement of social and human rights, in procurement policies and be mindful of the possible mutual consequences when conducting their activities;
1. Points out that the Internal Market and international markets are increasingly interlinked; considers, in this context, that legislators in the EU Internal Market and EU negotiators in the field of international trade should always be mindful of the possible mutual consequences when conducting their activities; with a view to fostering synergies, invites the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection, the Committee on International Trade and EU chief trade negotiators to hold joint briefing sessions prior to and during key international trade negotiations, for example on free trade agreements, to assess the resulting impact on both the EU single market and consumer safety and access to foreign markets for EU businesses;
Point 1 a (new)
1a. Remains unconvinced by the OECD's view that the primary objective of effective procurement policy ought to be the promotion of efficiency, i.e. the selection of the supplier offering the lowest price; regards other public policy objectives - including pro-employment and anti- poverty strategies, the promotion of local innovation pools and Green and Fair Trade procurement - as being of at least equal if not higher importance;
2. Believes that a plurilateral agreement such as the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) is the best tool to ensure a level playing field for European enterprises inTakes note of the provisional agreement on the revision of the Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) regarding market access to public procurement at international level; therefore urgescalls on the Commission to recontinue its efforts to conclude the ambitious GPAsider the reform of the GPA in the light of the current economic crisis, in order to guarantee the possibility of public spending at all levels of government to achieve anti-cyclical, pro-employment and regional development goals;
Point 2 a (new)
3. Takes the view that the EU public procurement market remains the most open public procurement market at global level; considers that the general principle of an open European Union public procurement market should be maintained, taking into account, however, the interests of Union enterprises in the European Union internal market and third country markets;
3. Takes the view that the EU public procurement market remains the most open public procurement market at global level; asks the Commission to provide it with a comprehensive statistical overview of third-country providers' share of the procurement markets for goods and services of the 27 EU Member States and the total amounts involved;
Point 3 a (new)
4. RegretNotes that our international partners have not yet opened up their internal public procurement markets to EU companies in the samea different way to that in which the EU internal market is openhas been opened up to third-country enterprises; deeply deplores the fact that our major trading partners employ public procurement practices which discriminate against EU suppliers tendering for public contractwelcomes the specific provisions adopted in some GPA partner countries concerning discrimination in favour of their small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and asks the Commission to propose a similar SME rule in European legislation; welcomes the Commission's focus on Fair Trade goods in public procurement and calls ion third countriee Commission to propose specific Fair Trade provisions in the GPA negotiations;
Point 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Commission to stop insisting that trade partners include procurement chapters in ongoing FTA and EPA negotiations if those partners do not wish to do so;
Point 4 b (new)
4b. Calls on the Commission to stop insisting, in ongoing FTA and EPA negotiations, that trade partners agree not to include SME-related provisions in or withdraw them from their respective procurement policies;
5. Firmly believes in the principle of reciprocity in the field of public procurement; calls on the Commission to consider imposing targeted restrictions on access to parts of the EU's procurement markets for those trading partners which benefit from the openness of EU market and which have not shown the intention of opening their markets for EU companies in order to encourage our partners to offer reciprocal market opening for European companies;
5. FWhile arguing strongly against protectionist measures in the field of public procurement at global level, firmly believes in the principle of reciprocity and proportionality in theat field of public procurement; calls on the Commission to consider imposing proportional targeted restrictions on access to parts of the EU's procurement markets for those trading partners which benefit from the openness of the EU market, but have not shown the intention of opening up their own markets to EU companies, in order to encourage our partners to offer reciprocal and proportional market access arrangements for European companies.
Point 5a (new)
5a. Draws attention to the provisions of Articles 58 and 59 of Directive 2004/17/EC; calls on the Member States to make full use of the possibility of informing the Commission of problems concerning access by their undertakings to third country markets and calls on the Commission to take effective measures to ensure that Union undertakings enjoy genuine access to third country markets;
Point 5b (new)
Point 5 c (new)
Point 5 d (new)
Point 5 e (new)
Point 5 f (new)
2010/03/26 IMCO 130 amendments...
- having regard to the Commission Communication on Public-Private Partnerships and Community Law on Public Procurement and Concessions (COM/2005/0569 final),
- having regard to the Report on the Public Consultation on the Green Paper on Public-Private Partnerships and Community Law on Public Contracts and Concessions - SEC(2205) 629,
- having regard to the Commission Green Paper on public-private partnerships and Community law on public contracts and concessions (COM/2004/0327 final),
- having regard to the Commission interpretative communication on concessions under Community law (2000/C1212/02),
Heide RÜHLE, Frank ENGEL, Bernadette VERGNAUD, Jürgen CREUTZMANN, Malcolm HARBOUR, Kyriacos TRIANTAPHYLLIDES
- having regard to the opinion of the Committee of the Regions of 10 February 2010 on ‘contributing to Sustainable Development: the role of Fair Trade and non-governmental trade-related sustainability assurance schemes’ (RELEX-IV-026),
- having regard to its resolution of 6 June 2006 on Fair Trade and Development (2005/2245 (INI)),
A. whereas the economic and financial market crisis has highlighted the vital economic importance of public procurement, the effects of the crisis on local authorities are already clearly evident, and at the same time made it clear that the public authorities can perform their tasks properly in the public interest only if they can count on the requisite legal certainty in this area and if procurement procedures are not too complex,
Ba. whereas private undertakings must have the opportunity to win public contracts and there should be fair competition for public contracts,
Bb. whereas an important purpose of the public procurement rules is to ensure that the State spends public money as efficiently as possible,
C. whereas the Lisbon Reform Treaty has for the first time incorporated into European Union primary law an acknowledgement of the right to regional and local self-government, consolidated the concept of subsidiarity and granted both the national parliaments and the Committee of the Regions the right to bring actions before the CJEU,(Does not affect English version.)
C. whereas the Lisbon Reform Treaty has for the first time incorporated into European Union primary law an acknowledgement of the right to regional and local self-government, consolidated the concept of subsidiarity and granted both the national parliaments and the Committee of the Regions the right to bring actions before the CJEUincorporates the notion of a social market economy, and a social clause whereby the social issues (promotion of a high level of employment, adequate social protection, fight against social exclusion, etc.) must be taken into account when defining and implementing all policies,
Ca. whereas there has been a disproportionate number of infringement cases at the European Court of Justice in this area, indicating that many Member States have struggled to comply with the Public Procurement Directives,
Cb. whereas Protocol No 26 on Services of General Interest conveys a clear message by underlining amongst other things, the essential role and wide discretion of national, regional and local authorities in providing, commissioning and organising services of general economic interest as closely as possible to the need of the users,
Cd. whereas ILO Convention 94 stipulates that general public contracts shall contain clauses ensuring equitable remuneration, and labour conditions which are not less favourable than those agreed upon in inter alia collective agreements,
Ce. whereas a well functioning procurement market is essential for the Internal Market, to both encourage cross- border competition, stimulate innovation, promote the low carbon economy and achieve optimal value for public authorities,
Paragraph 1 – title
1. Deplores the fact that the aims of the 2004 revision of the public procurement directives have not yet been achieved particularly with regard to the simplification of the procurement rules as well as the creation of more legal certainty; expresses the hope, however, that the most recent judgments handed down by the CJEU will help to resolve the outstanding legal issues and that the number of appeal procedures will fall;
1. Deplores the fact that the aims of the 2004 revision of the public procurement directives have not yet been achieved; expresses the hope, however, that the most recent judgments handed down by the CJEU will help to resolve the outstanding legal issues and that the number of appeal procedures will fall; calls on the Commission to have regard to and actively to pursue the aims of simplifying and streamlining the public procurement procedure in any review of the European rules;
2. Deplores, further, the fact that, in particular as a result of the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission and Commission departments and of the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European courts, the interaction between European, national and regional law has given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating, in particular for smaller local authorities and for small and medium-sized undertakingfor small and medium- sized undertakings and for smaller local authorities, serious legal problems which they can no longer overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice; urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the Better Lawmaking initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals and assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
2. Deplores, further, the fact that, in particular as aexisting resgult of the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission and Commission departments and of the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European courts, the interaction between European, national and regionalations in combination with implementation measures and soft law, hasve given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating, in particular for smaller local authorities and for small and medium-sized undertakings, serious legal problems which they can no longer overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice; urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the Better Lawmaking initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals and assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
2. Deplores, further, the fact that, in particular as a result of the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission and Commission departments and of the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European courts, the interaction between European, national and regional law has given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating, in particular for smaller local authorities and for small and medium-sized undertakings,public bodies, private undertakings and providers of services of general interest serious legal problems which they can no longer overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice; urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the Better Lawmaking initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals and assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
2. Deplores, further, the fact that, in particular as a result of the incomplete transposition of EU public procurement Directives in national law, and the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission and Commission departments and of the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European courts, the interaction between European, national and regional law has given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating, in particular for smaller local authorities and for small and medium-sized undertakings, serious legal problems which they can no longer overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice; urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the Better Lawmaking initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals and assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
2. Deplores, further, the fact that, in particular as a result of the interaction between European, national and regional law, as well as the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission and Commission departments and of the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European courts, the interaction between European, national and regional lawand National courts, has given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating, in particular for smaller local authorities and for small and medium-sized undertakings, serious legal problems which they can no longer overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice; urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the Better Lawmaking initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals, to restrict them to the essential and assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality;
Kyriacos TRIANTAPHYLLIDES, Dennis de JONG
2a. Points out that as a result of this development, the public procurer often has to prioritize legal certainty above policy needs, and given the pressure on public budgets, frequently has to award the contract or service to the cheapest offer, rather than to the most economically advantageous tender. Is afraid that this will weaken the EU’s innovative base and global competitiveness; Urges the Commission to remedy this situation and to develop strategic measures to encourage, empowering public procurers to give contracts to the most economical and best quality offers;
3. Emphasises that European initiatives in the area of public procurement must be coordinated more effectively in order not to jeopardise consistency with the public procurement directives and create legal problems for those applying the rules; calls, therefore, for compulsory coordination measures within the Commission, includingunder the lead of the Directorate-General Internal Market and Services which is in charge of public procurement, and under participation of the further relevant Directorates- Generals; asks for a uniform Internet presence, with a view to making the relevant legal provisions more transparent and more user friendly;
3. Emphasises that European initiatives in the area of public procurement must be coordinated more effectively in order not to jeopardise consistency with the public procurement directives and create legal problems for those applying the rules; calls, therefore, for compulsory coordination measures within the Commission, including a uniform Internet presence and regular information for the contracting authorities, with a view to making the relevant legal provisions more transparent and more user friendly;
3a. Urges the Commission to remedy this situation and to develop strategic measures to encourage and empower contracting authorities to give preference to the economically and qualitatively most advantageous offer, thereby contributing to the Union’s policy objectives, in particular the objectives of innovative and socially and environmentally responsible growth which lie at the heart of the Europe 2020 strategy;
4. Criticises the lack of transparency regarding the composition and results of the work of the internal Commission advisory committee on public procurement (ACPP) or the role and competencies of the advisory Committee on the Opening up of Public Procurement (CCO) and calls on the Commission to take steps to ensure that both this committee and the planned new advisory committee on public-private partnerships have a balanced composition and work in a transparent manner; demands that the European Parliaments is properly informed and is provided with all the information available;
4. Criticises the lack of transparency regarding the composition and results of the work of the internal Commission advisory committee on public procurement and calls on the Commission to take steps to ensure that both this committee and the planned new committee on public-private partnerships have a balanced composition, including trade unions and representatives of the business community, in particular of SMEs, and work in a transparent manner;
4. Criticises the lack of transparency regarding the composition, activities and results of the work of the internal Commission advisory committee on public procurement and calls on the Commission to take steps to ensure that both this committee and the planned new committee on public-private partnerships have a balanced composition and work in a transparent manner, providing clear indicators of the results at each stage and at the end of the process;
4a. Calls upon the Commission to examine the implications of Protocol 26 on the existing guidelines, in particular taking into account that article 2 of Protocol 26 stipulates that 'the provisions of the Treaties do not affect in any way the competence of Member States to provide, commission and organise non- economic services of general interest';
4b. Takes the view that as public contracts concern public funds, they should be transparent and open for public scrutiny; asks the Commission for clarification to ensure that local and other public authorities have legal certainty and can inform their citizens of their contractual obligations;
5. Calls on the Commission, when reviewing the public procurement directives, to take account of the opinions expressed in this report; expects that review to be carried out with the full involvement of all stakeholders, but warns that it regards a revision of the directives at this juncture as premature; when such a revision is carried out at a later date, however, advocates that it shoul and in close cooperation with the European Parliament; advocates that a revision should take into account the whole framework and also encompass the directive on review procedures concerning public contracts, in order to prevent any further fragmentation of public procurement law; takes the view that the practical impact of that directive cannot yet be assessed, as it has not been transposed in all the Member States;
5. Calls on the Commission, when reviewing carry out an ex-post assessment of the public procurement directives, to takeaking account of the opinions expressed in this report; expects that review to be carried out with the full involvement of all stakeholders, but warns that it regards a revision of the directives at this juncture as premature; when such a revision is carried out at a later date, however, advocates that it should also encompass an analysis of the national laws transposing the directive on review procedures concerning public contracts, in order to prevent any further fragmentation of public procurement law; takes the view that the practical impact of that directive cannot yet be assessed, as it has not been transposed in all the Member States;
5. Calls on the Commission, when reviewaluating the public procurement directives, to take account of the opinions expressed in this report; expects that review to be carried out with the full involvement of all stakeholders, but warns that it regards a revision of the directives at this juncture as premature; when such a revision is carried out at a later date, however, advocates that it should also encompass the directive on review procedures concerning public contracts, in order to prevent any further fragmentation of public procurement law; takes the view that the practical impact of that directive cannot yet be assessed, as it has not been transposed in all the Member Stateany debate on the conclusions from evaluation to be carried out with the full involvement of all stakeholders;
5. Calls on the Commission, when reviewing the public procurement directives, to take account of the opinions expressed in this report; expects that review to be carried out with the full involvement of all stakeholders, but warns that it regards a revision of the directives at this juncture as prematureand in close collaboration with the European Parliament; when such a revision is carried out at a later date, however, advocates that it should also encompass the directive on review procedures concerning public contracts, and a specific legislative framework for service concessions, in order to prevent any further fragmentation of public procurement law; takes the view that a coherent legal framework for public contracts requires a framework directive on services of general economic interest; takes the view that the practical impact of that directive cannot yet be assessed, as it has not been transposed in all the Member States;
5a. Emphasises the need to encourage SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises) to take part in public contracts for third country procurements and calls on the Commission to take effective measures that will ensure that enterprises in the Union enjoy genuine access to third country procurements;
5b. Notes of the importance of standards for public procurement in that they can help public procurers meet their targets, allowing them to use tried and tested processes to procure products and services, delivering a more cost-effective tender procedure and ensuring procurement meets other policy objectives, such as sustainability or buying from small businesses;
5c. calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of using green public contracts as a tool to promote sustainable development;
Paragraph 6 – title
Specific remarksPublic-public Cooperation
- the purpose of the partnership is the joint provision of a public-service task conferred on all local authorities,
- the purpose of the partnership is the joint provision of a public-service task conferred on all local authorities, where public- interest objectives are thereby achieved and the performance of the task is actually made possible or significantly improved through the cooperation,
Paragraph 6 – indent 1 a (new)
Paragraph 6 – indent 1 b (new)
Paragraph 6 – indent 1 c (new)
- and the activity involved is essentially performed on behalf of the public authorities concerned;deleted
– the services covered by the cooperation are not remunerated; no financial transfers may take place between the public partners and, in particular, no profits may be generated from the cooperation;
6b. Points out that the Commission has clarified that not every action taken by public authorities is subject to procurement law. As long as European law provisions do not require the creation of market in a certain area, it remains up to the Member States to decide whether and to what extent they want to perform public functions themselves;
6c. Points out that the conclusions of the CJEU in that judgment not only apply directly to cooperation between local authorities but are generally valid, with the result that they can be applied to cooperation between other public contracting authorities;
6d. Points out that the possibility of cooperation between public bodies is limited both geographically and as regards the number of budgets affected by the cooperation;
7. Points out that in its judgment of 10 September 2009 in Case C-573/07 the CJEU found that the mere possibility of the opening-up of the capital of a previously publicly-owned company to private investors may not be taken into consideration as a factor making competitive tendering a requirement unless there exists, at the time the contract is awarded, a real prospect in the short term of such an opening-up; notes that the law in this area is now sufficiently clear;welcomes the recent judgments handed down by the Court in this area; therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to providmake widely available information about the legal implications of these judgments and expects that in future no further appeal procedures will be brought in these areas;
7. Points out that in its judgment of 10 September 2009 in Case C-573/07 the CJEU found that the mere possibility of the opening-up of the capital of a previously publicly-owned company to private investors may not be taken into consideration as a factor making competitive tendering a requirement unless there exists, at the time the contract is awarded, a real prospect in the short term of such an opening-up; notes that the law in this area is now sufficiently clear; calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide information about the legal implications of these judgments and expects that in future no further appeal procedures will be brought in these areas; further calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the European Parliament and the Member States, to define clear and generally binding criteria governing cooperation between local authorities and in-house operations on the basis of the case-law of the CJEU and to provide information on them in a communication;
Róża Gräfin von THUN UND HOHENSTEIN, Andreas SCHWAB
7. Points out that in its judgment of 10 September 2009 in Case C-573/07 the CJEU found that the mere possibility of the opening-up of the capital of a previously publicly-owned company to private investors may not be taken into consideration as a factor making competitive tendering a requirement unless there exists, at the time the contract is awarded, a real prospect in the short term of such an opening-up; notes that the lawrules in thise area is now sufficiently clear;of public-public co-operation have been subject to important developments due to the jurisprudence of the CJEU; and therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide information about the legal implications of these judgments and expects that in future no further appeal procedures will be brought in these areas;
7. Points out that in its judgment of 10 September 2009 in Case C-573/07 the CJEU found that the mere possibility of the opening-up of the capital of a previously publicly-owned company to private investors may not be taken into consideration as a factor making competitive tendering a requirement unless there exists, at the time the contract is awarded, a real prospect character of the public capital company changes during the period for which the contract was valid, thereby altering the short term of such an opening-upfundamental condition of the contract and requiring a new competitive tender; notes that the lawrules in thise area is now sufficiently clear;of public-public cooperation have been subject to important developments due to the jurisprudence of the CJEU; and therefore calls on the Commission and the Member States to provide information about the legal implications of these judgments and expects that in future no further appeal procedures will be brought in these areas;
Paragraph 8 – title (new)
9. Notes the Commission Communication of 19 November 2009 on the development of public-private partnerships and awaits the relevant impact assessment with great interest; emphasises that due account must be taken of both the complexity of the procedures and the differences in legal culture and practice between the Member States with regard to service concessions, and doubts, therefore, whether a proposal for a legal act dealing with service concessions would have any added value; takes the view that with the 2004 public procurement directives and the supplementary case-law of the CJEU the process of defining the term ‘service concession’ and establishing the legal framework governing such concessions has been completed;
9. Notes the Commission Communication of 19 November 2009 on the development of public-private partnerships and awaits the relevant impact assessment with great interest; emphasises that due account must be taken of both the complexity of the procedures and the differences in legal culture and practice between the Member States with regard to service concessions, and doubts, therefore, whether a proposal for a legal act dealing with service concessions would have any added valuecalls on the Commission to duly take them into account only if the evaluation process proves that a legal definition is needed; takes the view that with the 2004 public procurement directives and the supplementary case-law of the CJEU the process of defining the term ‘service concession’ and establishing the legal framework governing such concessions has been completedevolved, however further clarification would be helpful;
9. Notes the Commission Communication of 19 November 2009 on the development of public-private partnerships and awaits the relevant impact assessment with great interest; emphasises that due account must be taken of both the complexity of the procedures and the differences in legal culture and practice between the Member States with regard to service concessions, and doubts, therefore, very strongly whether a proposal for a legal act dealing with service concessions would have any added value; takes the view that with the 2004 public procurement directives and the supplementary case-law of the CJEU the process of defining the term ‘service concession’ and establishing the legal framework governing such concessions has been completed and there is no legislative need for a European directive on service concessions;
9. Notes the Commission Communication of 19 November 2009 on the development of public-private partnerships and awaits the relevant impact assessment with great interest; expects the Commission to draw lessons from the failing PPPs; emphasises that due account must be taken of both the complexity of the procedures and the differences in legal culture and practice between the Member States with regard to service concessions, and doubts, therefore, whether a proposal for a legal act dealing with service concessions would have any added value; takes the view that with the 2004 public procurement directives and the supplementary case-law of the CJEU the process of defining the term ‘service concession’ and establishing the legal framework governing such concessions has been completed;
9. Notes the Commission Communication of 19 November 2009 on the development of public-private partnerships and awaits the relevant impact assessment with great interest; emphasises that due account must be taken of both the complexity of the procedures and the differences in legal culture and practice between the Member States with regard to service concessions, and doubts, therefore, whether a proposal for a legal act dealing with service concessions would have any added value; takes the view that with the 2004 public procurement directives and the supplementary case-law of the CJEU the process of defining the term ‘service concession’ and establishing the legal framework governing such concessions has been completed; it would be desirable, however, to develop rules on the publication of invitations to tender for service concessions;
9. Notes the Commission Communication of 19 November 2009 on the development of public-private partnerships and awaits the relevant impact assessment with great interest; emphasises that due account must be taken of both the complexity of the procedures and the differences in legal culture and practice between the Member States with regard to service concessions, and doubts, thereforetakes the view that, when ther a proposal for a legal act dealing with public procurement directives are revised in future, service concessions wshould have any added value; takes the view that withbe the subject of specific legislation based on their definition and their status as laid down in the 2004 public procurement directives and the supplementaryed by the case- law of the CJEU the process of defining the term ‘service concession’ and establishing the legal framework governing such concessions has been completed;
9b. Stresses that the award of public contracts must be done under conditions of transparency and equal treatment of all interested parties with the relationship of price to performance of the project as the ultimate criterion, so as to take into account the best tender and not solely and exclusively the lowest financial tender;
Paragraph 10 – title (new)
Heide RÜHLE, Frank ENGEL, Bernadette VERGNAUD, Malcolm HARBOUR, Jürgen CREUTZMANN, Kyriacos TRIANTAPHYLLIDES
Paragraph 10 – indent 1
- the private participant must be selected by means of a public procedure,transparent procedure, with publication in advance of the contract following a review of the financial, technical, operational and administrative requirements and the characteristics of the tender in the light of the particular service to be provided;
10a. Insists that any proposal for a legal act dealing with service concessions would only be justified with a view to remedying distortions in the functioning of the internal market; that such distortions have not been identified hitherto, and that therefore, a legal act on service concessions is unnecessary as long as it is not geared at an identifiable improvement in the functioning of the internal market;
10b. Invites the Commission, having regard to its communication of 19 November 2009, to advocate a more nuanced approach to the use of public- private partnerships, also taking into account the difficulties sometimes encountered; takes the view, however, that public-private partnerships can provide a solution in particular in the case of major infrastructure works, provided the balance is respected between cost and the quality of the service provided for users, on the one hand, and annuity profits awarded to undertakings, on the other; invites the Community to conduct a study of the real long-term economic benefit to public authorities and States of such partnerships in the different relevant sectors;
10c. Emphasizes however that the recent financial crises has shed new light on the ways public-private partnerships are often financed and the financial risks are shared; asks the Commission to properly evaluate the financial risks involved with the creation of PPPs;
Paragraph 11 – title (new)
Town Planning/Urban Development
11. Looks forward with great interest to the CJEU judgment in Case C-451/08 and hopes that it will clarify the issues still under dispute in the area of town planning; endorstakes the opinion delivered by the Advocate-General of the CJEU in this case on 17 November 2009 to the effectview that ‘the broad and ambitious aims of the directive must be borne in mind when interpreting the Directive but it should not be assumed that, by appealing to the purpose of the measure, its scope can be extended indefinitely’ (point 35); otherwise there would be a danger that ‘all town planning activities would be subject to the Directive since, by definition, provisions on the possible execution of building works substantially alter the value of the land in question’ (point 36);
11. Looks forward with great interest to the CJEU judgment in Case C-451/08 and hopes that it will clarify the issues still under dispute in the area of town planning; takes the view that in the last few years procurement law has permeated areas which are not inherently to be classified under public purchasing and therefore suggests that the criterion of purchasing is emphasised more strongly again in the application of the rules of procurement law; endorses the opinion delivered by the Advocate-General of the CJEU in this case on 17 November 2009 to the effect that ‘the broad and ambitious aims of the directive must be borne in mind when interpreting the Directive but it should not be assumed that, by appealing to the purpose of the measure, its scope can be extended indefinitely’ (point 35); otherwise there would be a danger that ‘all town planning activities would be subject to the Directive since, by definition, provisions on the possible execution of building works substantially alter the value of the land in question’ (point 36)
Paragraph 12 – title (new)
Procurement below the threshold
12. Points out that the European Parliament it is a party to the action Germany v Commission brought before the CJEU against the Commission interpretative communication of 1 August 2006 on the Community law applicable to contract awards not or not fully subject to the provisions of the Public Procurement Directives and expects a prompt ruling;
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises 12a. Asks the Commission to evaluate the impact of the public procurement directives on micro, small and medium- sized enterprises especially in their role as sub-contractor and to assess for a future review of the directives if we need further rules for the award of sub-contracts to avoid specifically that SMEs as subcontractors get worse conditions than the main contractor of the public contract;
12b. Calls upon the Commission to be more flexible when dealing with the requirement laid down in Directive 2004/18/EC, Art. 9 Section 3, which states that "no works project or proposed purchase of a certain quantity of supplies and / or services may be subdivided to prevent its coming within the scope of the Directive", in order to make it possible for SMEs to participate in all public procurement;
12c. Calls upon the Commission to simplify the procedures for public procurement in order to relieve both local governments as well as companies, from spending a large amount of time and money only on bureaucratic matters. Emphasises that by making the procedures easier, SMEs will have better access and will be able to participate in a more equal and fair way;
12d. Considers that sub-contracting is a form of organization of labour suited to the specialized aspects of the execution of works; emphasises that sub-contracting contracts must respect all the obligations imposed on the main contractors, especially as regards labour law and safety. With this end in view it would be advisable to establish a linked responsibility between contractor and sub- contractor;
12e. Supports the systematic admission of alternative bids (or variants); points out that tender conditions, in particular the admission of alternative bids, are crucial for promoting and disseminating innovative solutions; stresses that specifications referring to performance and functional requirements and the express admission of variants give tenderers the opportunity to propose innovative solutions;
12f. Encourages the Member States to create a single Web access portal for all information relating to public contracts, as an upstream network for all calls for tenders; the aim will be to provide training and information, to direct undertakings towards contracts and to explain the applicable legislation, in particular for SMEs (which do not generally have a great deal of human and administrative resources with expertise in procurement-related terminology and procedures); specialist helpdesks could also assist them in evaluating whether they genuinely fulfil the conditions of the tender, and if so to complete their dossiers in response;
Paragraph 13 – title (new)
13. Draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate and environmental protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological, social and other criteria; welcomes the practical assistance given to public authorities and other public bodies in connection with sustainable procurement and urges the Commission and the Member States to organise training courses and campaigns to raise awareness of this issue; supports the idea of a transparent process, involving the Member States, to develop the relevant criteria further; points out that in the area of social criteria in particular such a process offers good prospects for improvements;
13. Draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological, social and other criteria; welcomes the practical assistance given to public authorities and other public bodies in connection with sustainable procurement and urges the Commission and the Member States to organise training courses and campaigns to raise awareness of this issue; supports the idea of a transparent process, involving the Member States, to develop the relevant criteria further; points out that in the area of social criteria in particular such a process offers good prospects for improvements;
13. Draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological, social and other criteria; welcomes calls on the Commission to make clear that public authorities may base public procurement on ecological criteria such as sustainable management, social criteria such as the payment of relevant standard wages and other criteria; calls on the Commission to devise guidelines or other practical assistance given to public authorities and other public bodies in connection with sustainable procurement and urges the Commission and the Member States to organise training courses and campaigns to raise awareness of this issue; supports the idea of a transparent process, involving the Member States, to develop the relevant criteria further; points out that in the area of social criteria in particular such a process offers good prospects for improvements;
13. Draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological, social and other criteria; regrets that the Commission has still not published a guide on a socially responsible and environmentally-oriented application of public procurement; welcomes the practical assistance given to public authorities and other public bodies in connection with sustainable procurement and urges the Commission and the Member States to develop objectives and strategies for the introduction of social criteria in public procurement and, to that end, to organise training courses and campaigns to raise awareness of this issue; supports the idea of a transparent process, involving the Member States, to develop the relevant criteria further; points out that in the area of social criteria in particular such a process offers good prospects for improvements;
13. Draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological, social and other criteria; regrets that the Commission has still not published a Guide on Social Responsible Public Procurement; welcomes the practical assistance given to public authorities and other public bodies in connection with sustainable procurement and urges the Commission and the Member States to organise training courses and campaigns to raise awareness of this issue; supports the idea of a transparent process, involving the Member States, to develop the relevant criteria further; points out that in the area of social criteria in particular such a process offers good prospects for improvements;
13. Draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation, and stimulating competition, and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological, social and other criteria; welcomes the practical assistance given to public authorities and other public bodies in connection with sustainable procurement and urges the Commission and the Member States to organise frequent training courses and campaigns to raise awareness of this issue; supports the idea of a transparent process, involving the Member States and local authorities, to develop the relevant criteria further; points out that in the area of social criteria in particular such a process offers good prospects for improvements;
13. Ddraws attention to the great importance of public procurement for climate protection, energy efficiency, the environment and innovation and reiterates that public authorities should be encouraged and put in a position to base public procurement on ecological, social and other criteriaplace special emphasis on taking into account environmental and social criteria during the award of public contracts; welcomes the practical assistance given to public authorities and other public bodies in connection with sustainable procurement and urges the Commission and the Member States to organise training courses and campaigns to raise awareness of this issue; supports the idea of a transparent process, involving the Member States, to develop the relevant criteria further; points out that in the area of social criteria in particular such a process offers good prospects for improvements;
13a. Emphasises that the Commission should actively support Member States to integrate social criteria into public procurement, taking as a starting point the ILO Convention criteria, particularly Conventions 87 and 98 on the right to join trade unions and the right to conclude collective agreements, 29 and 105 for condemning the forced labour, 100 and 111 on equal pay for equal work and condemnation of discrimination, 138 on child labour and 94 on social criteria in procurement;
13b. Emphasises that the Commission should actively support Member States to integrate social criteria into public procurement, and that key social considerations for public procurement include: - Gender equality, as called for in Communication from the Commission (COM (2007) 424) on tackling the pay gap between men and women, - Social cohesion, in particular the integration of respect for fundamental rights as recognised in the core ILO conventions, - Equitable wages, in accordance with the Commission’s Opinion on equitable wages (COM (93) 388) and ILO’s decent work agenda, - Respect for collective agreements, as stated in ILO Convention 94, article 2, section 1(a);
14. CEmphasises that it would greatly facilitate the transparency of public procurement procedures if governments used the same sustainable criteria as are used for various labels; and therefore calls for the development of a database so that the criteria on which the various sustainability assurance schemes or labels are based can be used for public procurement purposes; calls on the Commission to put forward initiatives at European and international level with a view to the gradual harmonisation of labels and the criteria on which they are based; expects the Member States to be fully involved in this process; draws attention, at the same time, to the negative impact which a and so that public authorities can verify the compliance with the criteria demanded. Urges the Commission and the Member States to organise training courses and awareness raising campaigns for local authorities and political decision-market fragmented by the existence of so many regional, national, European and international labels has on innovation and researchrs and to include other stakeholders, particular social NGOs providing social services;
14. Calls for the development of a database so that the criteria on which the various labels are based can be used for public procurement purposes; calls on the Commission to put forward initiatives at European and international level with a view to the gradual harmonisation of labels and the criteria on which they are based to facilitate their use in public procurement; expects the Member States to be fully involved in this process; This bottom-up process should take into account the valuable experience and knowledge that often exists at local, regional and national level; draws attention, at the same time, to the negative impact which a market fragmented by the existence of so many regional, national, European and international labels has on innovation and research;
14. Calls for the development of a database so that the criteria on which the various labels are based can be used for public procurement purposes; calls on the Commission to put forward initiafor standards, including those relating to environmental and social criteria, to be made available for public authoritives at European and international level with a view to the gradual harmonisation of labels and the criteria on which they are based; expects the Member States to be fully involved in this process; draws attention, at the same time, to the negative impact which a market fragmented by the existence of so many regional, national, European and international labels has on innovation and research, to ensure that procurers have appropriate guidance and a clear set of rules when drawing up tenders to easily verify their compliance with the relevant standard;
14. Calls for the development of a database so that the criteria on which the various labels are based can be used for public procurement purposes; calls on the Commission to put forward initiatives at European and international level with a view to the gradual harmonisation of labels and the criteria on which they are based; expects the Member States and stakeholders to be fully involved in this process; draws attention, at the same time, to the negative impact which a market fragmented by the existence of so many regional, national, European and international labels has on innovation and research;
14. Calls for the development of a database so that the criteria on which the various labels are based can be used for public procurement purposes; calls on the Commission to put forward initiatives at European and international level with a view to the gradual harmonisation of labels and the criteria on which they are based; expects the Member States and all stakeholders to be fully involved in this process; furthermore draws attention, at the same time, to the negative impact which a market fragmented by the existence of so manynumerous varying regional, national, European and international labels has on innovation and research;
Paragraph 15 - title (new)
15. Draws attention to the great importance of public procurement for the achievement of EU social objectives and the advancement of sustainable development; Emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide constructive assistance in the form of manuals; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner; emphasises the underlying problem that when social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria demanded and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promoteto sustainability assurance schemes and to support instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chains;
15. EDraws attention to the great importance of public procurement for the achievement of EU social objectives and the advancement of sustainable development; emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals and to publish without delay a guide on the integration of social considerations in procurement; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner; considers that the new EU legal framework strengthens the legitimacy of ILO Convention 94 on labour clauses in public contracts and that Member States who have not yet ratified the Convention should be encouraged to do so; emphasises the underlying problem that social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promote instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chains;
15. Emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals and ‘quality of work’ criteria to support public authorities in integrating employment-related social considerations in public procurement; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner; considers that the new EU legal framework strengthens the legitimacy of ILO Convention 94 on labour clauses in public contracts; emphasises the underlying problem that social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promote instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chains; calls on the Commission to assist Member States in monitoring and evaluating the impact of public procurement processes on the quality of goods and services;
15. Emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner and ‘quality of work’ criteria to support public authorities in integrating employment-related social considerations in public procurement; considers that the new EU legal framework strengthens the legitimacy of ILO Convention 94 on labour clauses in public contracts and that Member States who have not yet ratified the Convention should be encouraged to do so; calls on the Commission to assist Member States monitor and evaluate the impact of public procurement processes on the quality of goods and services and employment; emphasises the underlying problem that social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promote instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chains;
15. Emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner; emphasises the underlying problem that social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promote instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chains;
15. Emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner; emphasises the underlying problem that social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promote instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chainensure that the procuring authority takes responsibility for not only its contracted suppliers but also subcontractors/sub-suppliers engaged at multiple levels;
15. Emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner; emphasises the underlying problem that social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a harmonised database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promote instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chains;
15. Emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of legally non-binding manuals; in that connection, draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Reform Treaty and the Charter of Fundamental Rights and looks to the Commission to implement the relevant provisions in an appropriate manner; emphasises the underlying problem that social criteria relate to the manufacturing process, so that their impact is generally indiscernible in the final product, and that globalised production systems and complex supply chains make compliance with the criteria difficult to monitor; expects, therefore, precise, verifiable criteria and a database containing product- specific criteria to be developed for the area of socially responsible public procurement as well; draws attention to the problems contracting authorities have, and the costs they incur, in verifying compliance with criteria and calls on the Commission to offer suitable assistance and to promote instruments which can be used to certify the reliability of supply chains;
15b. Practical Help: Database and training courses Calls for the development of a frequently updated database so that the criteria on which the various labels or sustainability assurance schemes are based can be used for public procurement purposes and so that public authorities can verify the compliance with the criteria demanded; Urges the Commission and the Member States to organise training courses and campaigns to raise awareness for local authorities and political decision-maker and to include other stakeholders, in particularly providers of social services;
15a. Emphasises that the Protocol of Services of General Interest attached to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union calls for a high level of quality, safety and affordability, equal treatment and the promotion of universal access and of user rights in these services; emphasises that services of a general economic interest (SGEI) are an EU legal category that provides an exception to the competition rules for the proportionate pursuit of legitimate public interest goals by private undertakings; recognises that it is for the public authorities of the Member States involved to decide whether they provide these services directly through their own administration or whether they entrust the service to a third party (private or public entity). Where a third party is selected the public procurement rules will generally apply; emphasises that the Commission should actively support Member States to integrate the shared values of the Union in respect of services of general economic interest into its public procurement regulation;
15c. Reiterates it’s previous call, in it’s report of February 2009, on the Commission to provide a handbook on pre-commercial procurement, which should illustrate practical examples of risk benefit sharing according to market conditions; considers, in addition, that intellectual property rights must be vested in the companies participating in pre- commercial procurement, which would foster understanding amongst public authorities and encourage suppliers to become involved in pre-commercial procurement procedures;
15d. Welcomes the European Commission’s EMAS helpdesk which provides practical information and support for companies and other organisations to evaluate, report and improve their environmental performance in public procurement; calls on the Commission to consider developing of a more generic online portal which could offer practical advice and support for those using the public procurement process, particularly the actors involved in complex and collaborative procurement procedures;
15e. Notes that SMEs have struggled to access public procurement markets and that more should be done to develop an "SME strategy"; therefore, as part of this strategy, calls on the Member States to work with contracting authorities to encourage subcontracting possibilities where appropriate, develop and disseminate best practise techniques, avoid overly prescriptive pre-qualifying processes, use standards in tender documents to ensure that suppliers don’t have to start from scratch and to establish a centralised advertising portal for contracts; also calls on the Commission to take stock of Member States initiatives in this area and encourage wider dissemination of the Small Business Act’s European Code of Best Practises;
15f. Calls on the Commission to encourage public authorities to use Fair Trade criteria in their public tenders and purchasing policies on the basis of the Fair Trade definition as recognized by the European Parliament resolution on Fair Trade and Development of 6 June 2006 and the recent European Commission communication of 5 May 2009; reiterates its earlier call to the Commission to promote this by, e.g., producing constructive guidelines for Fair Trade procurement; welcomes the unanimous adoption of the opinion of the Committee of the Regions on 11 February 2010 calling for a common European Fair Trade strategy for local and regional authorities;
15g. Encourages Member States to promote a "Supplier Development Programme" as already developed in some countries; notes that such a tool can be used to encourage dialogue between suppliers and procurers, enabling actors to meet at an early stage of a purchasing process; stresses that such a mechanism is essential for stimulating innovation and improving SME access to procurement markets;
15h. Social services of general interest Draws attention to the difficulties in transposing the Services Directive of 12 December 2006 in many Member States, in particular as regards the specific nature of social services of general interest; emphasises that the way in which procurement operates in the field of social services through calls for tenders has a detrimental effect on quality and therefore on the service provided to users, because quality criteria are too often neglected; takes the view that the public procurement directives do not provide an appropriate framework for contracts connected with social services of general interest; therefore calls on the Commission to put forward, as soon as possible, specific legislation to provide a framework for social services of general interest;
Philippe JUVIN, Constance LE GRIP, Jean-Marie CAVADA
15i. Calls on the Commission to step up its efforts to prevent the discrimination suffered by European SMEs under discriminatory measures imposed by certain parties to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement (GPA), such as Canada and the United States; in particular, calls on the Commission, in the renegotiation of the GPA, to secure from the States in question an extension of their offer to cover public contracts subject to the agreement in proportion to the value of the contracts which they reserve for their SMEs or, in the alternative, to obtain the insertion of a clause permitting the European Union to give preferential treatment to European SMEs in the award of public contracts, following the model of the measures already applied by the States in question;
15j. Recognises that training and exchanging experiences between public authorities and the European Commission is essential in overcoming some of the complexities in the public procurement market; however, is concerned that as public budgets tighten, such initiatives could be undermined; therefore calls on Member States and the European Commission to use existing resources and mechanisms at their disposal, such as peer reviews, envisaged in the Services Directive, to encourage small teams of procurement experts from one region to review the activities of another EU region, which could help establish confidence and best practises across different Member States;
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=COMPARL&mode=XML〈uage=EN&reference=PE438.513
The Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection adopted the own-initiative report drawn up by Heide RUHLE (Greens/EFA, DE) on new developments in public procurement. It notes that the 2004 revision of the public procurement directives (Directives 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC) was intended to simplify and modernise the relevant procedures, and deplores the fact that the aims of the 2004 revision have not yet been achieved, particularly with regard to the simplification of procurement rules and the creation of more legal certainty. Members express the hope, however, that the most recent judgments handed down by the CJEU will help to resolve the outstanding legal issues and that the number of appeal procedures will fall. They call on the Commission actively to pursue the aims of simplifying the public procurement procedure in any review of the European rules.
The report also deplores the fact that the existing regulations - in combination with incomplete implementation measures at national and regional level, the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission, and the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European and national courts - have given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating serious legal problems that can no longer be overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice. It urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the 'Better Lawmaking' initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals, to restrict such proposals to key aspects and to assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, taking into account the five principles set out in the 2001 White Paper on European Governance (openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence).
Members point out that as a result of this development public procurers often have to prioritise legal certainty above policy needs and, given the pressure on public budgets, frequently have to award the contract or service in question to the cheapest offer rather than the most economically advantageous tender. They are afraid that this will weaken the EU's innovative base and they urge the Commission to remedy this situation. The report emphasises that European initiatives in the area of public procurement must be coordinated more effectively in order to avoid jeopardising consistency with the public procurement directives or creating legal problems for those applying the rules. It calls, therefore, for compulsory coordination measures within the Commission.
Members criticise the lack of transparency with regard to the composition and work of the Commission's internal advisory committee on public procurement (ACPP) and the role and competencies of the Advisory Committee on the Opening-Up of Public Procurement (CCO). They also stress that public contracts must be awarded under transparent conditions. The Commission is asked to carry out an ex-post assessment of the public procurement directives, taking account of the opinions expressed here, and Members expect that review to be carried out with the full involvement of all stakeholders and in close cooperation with the European Parliament. Any revision must take account of the whole framework and encompass the directive on review procedures concerning the award of public contracts as well as an analysis of the national laws transposing the directive on review procedures, in order to prevent any further fragmentation of public procurement law.
The report goes on to give its views on recent case law regarding public-public cooperation, service concessions, the matter of the application of procurement law to institutionalised public-private partnerships, town planning/urban development, and procurement below the threshold. On green procurement, Members stress that public authorities should be empowered to base public procurement on environmental, social and other criteria. They reiterate their call for the Commission to produce a handbook on pre-commercial procurement, which should illustrate practical examples of risk-benefit sharing according to market conditions.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises: Members ask the Commission to evaluate the impact of the public procurement directives on these enterprises, especially in their role as sub-contractors, and to assess whether we need further rules on the award of sub-contracts, specifically to avoid SMEs as subcontractors being subject to worse conditions than the main contractor awarded the public contract. It also calls on the Commission to simplify public procurement procedures in order to relieve both local governments and companies from spending a large amount of time and money on purely bureaucratic matters. Members note that SMEs have struggled to gain access to public procurement markets and that more should be done to develop an 'SME strategy'. The Commission is also asked to secure the inclusion, in the renegotiated WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), of a clause enabling the EU to give preference to SMEs when awarding public contracts, along the lines of those already applied by other States Parties to this agreement.
Socially responsible procurement: the committee emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement, and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals. It draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Treaty, and calls on the Commission to devise guidelines or other practical assistance in connection with sustainable procurement.
Practical help: Members call for the development of a frequently updated database of standards, especially those relating to environmental and social criteria, to be made available to public authorities. They also urge Member States and the Commission to use the existing resources and mechanisms at their disposal, such as the peer reviews envisaged in the Services Directive, to encourage small teams of procurement experts from one region to review the activities of another EU region, which may help to build confidence and establish best practices across different Member States. The committee also urges the organisation of training courses and campaigns to raise awareness among local authorities and policy-makers, and to include other stakeholders, in particular providers of social services.
Regional development: the report stresses the need to revise, in cooperation with regional and local authorities, the various sets of rules applicable to public procurement in order to unify them and simplify the whole legal framework for public procurement, in particular with a view to reducing the risk of errors and ensuring more efficient use of the Structural Funds.
International trade: while arguing strongly against protectionist measures in the field of public procurement at global level, the committee firmly believes in the principle of reciprocity and proportionality in that area. It calls on the Commission to consider imposing proportional targeted restrictions on access to parts of the EU's procurement markets for those trading partners which benefit from the openness of the EU market, but have not shown any intention of opening up their own markets to EU companies, in order to encourage our partners to offer reciprocal and proportional market access arrangements for European companies.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=REPORT&mode=XML&reference=A7-2010-0151〈uage=EN
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA〈uage=EN&reference=P7-TA-2010-0173
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on new developments in public procurement. It notes that the 2004 revision of the public procurement directives (Directives 2004/18/EC and 2004/17/EC) was intended to simplify and modernise the relevant procedures, and deplores the fact that the aims of the 2004 revision have not yet been achieved, particularly with regard to the simplification of procurement rules and the creation of more legal certainty. Members express the hope, however, that the most recent judgments handed down by the CJEU will help to resolve the outstanding legal issues and that the number of appeal procedures will fall. They call on the Commission actively to pursue the aims of simplifying the public procurement procedure in any review of the European rules.
Parliament also deplores the fact that the existing regulations - in combination with incomplete implementation measures at national and regional level, the plethora of soft law proposals put forward by the Commission, and the interpretation of the relevant legal provisions by European and national courts - have given rise to a complicated and confusing set of rules which is creating serious legal problems that can no longer be overcome without incurring substantial administrative costs or seeking external legal advice. It urges the Commission to remedy this situation and, as part of the 'Better Lawmaking' initiative, to examine the impact of soft law proposals, to restrict such proposals to key aspects and to assess them in the light of the principles of subsidiarity and proportionality, taking into account the five principles set out in the 2001 White Paper on European Governance (openness, participation, accountability, effectiveness and coherence).
Members point out that as a result of this development public procurers often have to prioritise legal certainty above policy needs and, given the pressure on public budgets, frequently have to award the contract or service in question to the cheapest offer rather than the most economically advantageous tender. They are afraid that this will weaken the EU's innovative base and they urge the Commission to remedy this situation. The resolution emphasises that European initiatives in the area of public procurement must be coordinated more effectively in order to avoid jeopardising consistency with the public procurement directives or creating legal problems for those applying the rules. It calls, therefore, for compulsory coordination measures within the Commission.
Parliament goes on to give its views on recent case law regarding public-public cooperation, service concessions, the matter of the application of procurement law to institutionalised public-private partnerships, town planning/urban development, and procurement below the threshold. On green procurement, Members stress that public authorities should be empowered to base public procurement on environmental, social and other criteria. They reiterate their call for the Commission to produce a handbook on pre-commercial procurement, which should illustrate practical examples of risk-benefit sharing according to market conditions.
Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises: Members ask the Commission to evaluate the impact of the public procurement directives on these enterprises, especially in their role as sub-contractors, and to assess whether we need further rules on the award of sub-contracts, specifically to avoid SMEs as subcontractors being subject to worse conditions than the main contractor awarded the public contract. They also call on the Commission to simplify public procurement procedures in order to relieve both local governments and companies from spending a large amount of time and money on purely bureaucratic matters. Members note that SMEs have struggled to gain access to public procurement markets and that more should be done to develop an 'SME strategy'. The Commission is also asked to secure the inclusion, in the renegotiated WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA), of a clause enabling the EU to give preference to SMEs when awarding public contracts, along the lines of those already applied by other States Parties to this agreement.
Socially responsible procurement: Parliament emphasises the lack of clarity in the area of socially responsible public procurement, and calls on the Commission to provide assistance in the form of manuals. It draws attention to the changes in the legal framework brought about by the Lisbon Treaty, and calls on the Commission to devise guidelines or other practical assistance in connection with sustainable procurement.
Practical help: Members call for the development of a frequently updated database of standards, especially those relating to environmental and social criteria, to be made available to public authorities. They also urge Member States and the Commission to use the existing resources and mechanisms at their disposal, such as the peer reviews envisaged in the Services Directive, to encourage small teams of procurement experts from one region to review the activities of another EU region, which may help to build confidence and establish best practices across different Member States. The resolution also urges the organisation of training courses and campaigns to raise awareness among local authorities and policy-makers, and to include other stakeholders, in particular providers of social services.
Regional development: Parliament stresses the need to revise the various sets of rules applicable to public procurement in order to unify them and simplify the whole legal framework, in particular with a view to reducing the risk of errors and ensuring more efficient use of the Structural Funds.
International trade: while arguing strongly against protectionist measures in the field of public procurement at global level, Parliament firmly believes in the principle of reciprocity and proportionality in that area. It calls on the Commission to consider imposing proportional targeted restrictions on access to parts of the EU's procurement markets for those trading partners which benefit from the openness of the EU market, but have not shown any intention of opening up their own markets to EU companies, in order to encourage our partners to offer reciprocal and proportional market access arrangements for European companies. Lastly, it calls on the Commission to evaluate the possibility of incorporating into public procurement agreements with international partners provisions requiring compliance with the fundamental human rights obligations laid down in conventions and international agreements.
T7-0173/2010
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/popups/sda.do?id=18369&l=en
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/oeil/spdoc.do?i=18369&j=0&l=en
IMCO/7/01142