On November 28th, the Belgian and Flemish research consortium, the Circular Economy Center, hosted an expert meeting in Brussels that brought together leading scholars from across Europe to discuss the future of Circular Public Procurement (CPP). The event focused on the integration of Circular Economy (CE) principles into public procurement processes and showcased key policy innovations aimed at enhancing sustainability in the public sector.

Several members of the European Procurement Law Group (EPLG) were actively involved in the meeting, contributing their expertise to the discussions and emphasizing the importance of cross-border collaboration for sustainable procurement practices. These participants included Professors Roberto Caranta, who delivered the opening presentation, Kirsi-Maria Halonen, who shared insights into the Finnish government’s approach, Pedro Telles, who presented on new public procurement legislation in the UK, and Miguel Assis Raimundo, who illustrated the Portuguese experience. Their contributions helped frame the dialogue around the challenges and opportunities of Green and Circular Public Procurement (GPP/CPP) across Europe.

The event featured other relevant contributions, such as that from Aura Iurascu, a researcher from the SAPIENS Network, who presented her work on the Right to Repair in EU and Belgian law.

Key Takeaways:

• Political commitment is crucial for making sustainability a core element of public procurement.
• Monitoring ongoing EU procurement reforms is essential to ensure alignment with sustainability objectives CE principles.
• There is growing optimism around the potential of CE initiatives and their integration into procurement practices.

To explore these discussions more in detail, read the full blog post available on the SAPIENS Network website.