EPSU and Civil Society letter to Commissioner Barnier on Procurement

(23 November, Brussels). Here you can read the letter sent by EPSU together with other trade unions and civil society organisation on Public procurement, as well as the report on the Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of EU procurement legislation and policy.

Commissioner Barnier
DG Internal Market and Services
European Commission
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium

19th November 2010

Dear Commissioner Barnier,

Evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of EU Procurement legislation and policy

Please find attached an initial contribution to the EU Commission’s ongoing evaluation of the impact and effectiveness of EU procurement legislation and policy.

This contribution has been produced by a working group involving trade unions and social and environmental NGO’s as indicated by the logos above, who have worked together for some time on policy issues related to public procurement.

This initial input focuses on concerns we have that there are glaring inconsistencies between internal market policies influencing public procurement and wider social and sustainability policy objectives and commitments of the EU.

We would urge the EU Commission to use the evaluation process to assess how these inconsistencies can be remedied, and how public procurement legislation and policy will have to be amended to better reflect wider legislative, policy and Treaty commitments in these areas.

Clearly, we would be happy to discuss these issues with you and your colleagues in more detail, and to work with you at a more detailed technical level towards finding practical ways of resolving some of these concerns. We also hope that we will be invited to any hearings or seminars arranged as the evaluation and onward work in this area develops.

We look forward to an ongoing dialogue on the development of procurement policy.

Yours Sincerely,

Kathleen Walker Shaw
GMB European officer

On behalf of the signatory organisations:
ClientEarth – www.clientearth.org Contact: Janet Pritchard
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] -
EMF – European Metalworkers' Federation www.emf-fem.org Contact : Judith Kirton-Darling [email protected] -
EPSU – European Public Service Unions www.epsu.org Contact – Penny Clarke [email protected] -
FERN – www.fern.org -
GMB – British Trade Union (Multi-sector) www.gmb.org.uk Contact: Kathleen Walker Shaw [email protected] - SOLIDAR – www.solidar.org -
UNISON – British Public Sector Trade Union www.unison.org.uk Contact: Margie Jaffe -
EFTA - European Fair Trade Association -}
FLO - Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International -}
WFTO - World Fair Trade Organization -}

Contact for 3 organisations above: Sergi Corbalán, Fair Trade Advocacy Office Coordinator www.fairtrade-advocacy.org [email protected]