Joint PR from the network for sustainable development in public procurement - key demands and messages

Joint press release on the occasion of the European Commission’s Conference “Modernising public procurement” 30 June 2011

KEY DEMANDS AND MESSAGES FROM THE NETWORK FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN PUBLIC PROCUREMENT

(30 June 2011) The Network for Sustainable Development in Public Procurement (EPSU, GMB, UNISON, EMF, EFFAT, EFBWW, SOLIDAR, EFTA, Fairtrade International, WFTO-Europe, FERN, EMCEF, Ver.di, TUC, ENSIE, UNI Europa, Setem, and NETWORKWEAR) on the occasion of the European Commission’s Conference “modernising public procurement” on 30 June 2011 reiterate their ‘five key demands’ for the revision of the procurement Directives.

These demands call for public procurement to contribute to a socially sustainable economy that focuses on quality employment, decent work, international labour standards, fair trade, environmental and sustainability objectives rather than just the existence of an internal market.

In the ‘key demands’ the Network stresses that when public authorities buy sustainable products and services this contributes to the EU objectives of sustainable development and the EU 2020 strategy. Value for money/best value in public contracting is not achieved by going for lowest price - it is achieved only when wider social, ethical and environmental benefits are given clear weight in public procurement decisions.

The Network expect the follow up to the Green Paper on public procurement to take this on board.

Read the ‘five demands’ & the EPSU response:
- Key demands (EN/DE) & EPSU response

The Network’s contribution to the procurement debate builds on earlier work on the inconsistencies between internal market policies influencing public procurement and wider social and sustainability policy objectives and commitments of the EU. Read the Evaluation in English, French, German, Swedish and Russian

For more information please contact:
EFBWW – European Federation of building and woodworkers www.efbww.org Contact: Werner Buelens
EFFAT – European Federation of Food Agriculture and Tourism www.effat.org Contact: Kerstin Howald [email protected]
EFTA - European Fair Trade Association
FLO - Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International
WFTO-E - World Fair Trade Organization - Europe
EMCEF- Europen Mine, Energy and Chemical Workers ‘Federation http://www.emcef.org/ Contact: Reinhard Reibsch [email protected]
EMF – European Metal Workers www.emf-fem.org Contact: Judith Kirton-Darling [email protected]
ENSIE - www.ensie.org Contact: Patrizia Bussi [email protected] EPSU – European Public Service Unions www.epsu.org Contact: Penny Clarke [email protected]
FERN – www.fern.org Contact Veerle Dossche [email protected]
GMB – British Trade Union (Multi-sector) www.gmb.org.uk Contact: Kathleen Walker Shaw [email protected] NETWORKWEAR - www.networkwear.eu Contact: Ramon Vives Xiol [email protected]
SETEM – www.setem.org Contact: Ramon Vives - [email protected]
SOLIDAR – www.solidar.org Contact – Conny Reuter [email protected]
TUC – British Trades Union Congress www.tuc.org.uk Contact: Tim Page [email protected]
UNI Europa – www.uniglobalunion.org Contact: Laila Castaldo - [email protected].
UNISON –British Public Sector Trade Union www.unison.org.uk Contact: Margie Jaffe
ver.di United Services Union www.verdi.de
VER.DI Contact Armin Duttine – [email protected] * * *