On Wednesday 28 May, EPRC hosted a seminar by Christopher Bovis, Professor of International and European Business Law at Hull University Business School.
The seminar focussed on the current reforms to EU public procurement, which are designed to encourage public bodies to use procurement for wider strategic, social and environmental purposes. The EU 2020 Strategy has also created levers relevant to research and development, regional policy and the promotion of innovation in the delivery of public services. Key messages were that EU procurement in the 2014-2020 period will be more aligned towards non-EU actors, that the scope of reform is significant and will include changes to managing competitiveness, and that within the EU Member States procurement will be a tool of legitimised state aid.
The presentation slides can be downloaded here.