e-procurement

See EESC opinion in all languages under Related documents at the end of this page.

Key points:

The EESC

• welcomes the communication from the Commission giving great importance to rapid transition to a general e-procurement system;
• underlines the importance of e-procurement due to the potential benefits stemming from:
  • transparency, anti-fraud measures,
  • market efficiency,
  • the extension of the public procurement market to SMEs,
  • overall savings for public administrations,
  • integration and development of the internal market,
  • modernisation of public administrations and development of the European digital agenda,
  • new opportunities for businesses offering technological services,
  • career development for public administration and company employees;
• sees the transposition by mid 2016 as a proper and ambitious objective, which can only be achieved if certain conditions regarding standardisation, interoperability and accessibility are met;
• points out that, in spite of the enormous efforts made, the percentage of e-procurement remains very low;
• remains strongly critical of the reluctance of some Member States to cooperate;
• considers that maintaining thresholds hampers the development of the internal market and jeopardises competition on a level playing field.

Other relevant EESC opinions

• Opinions on public procurement
• EESC opinion on ‘Third country state-owned enterprises in EU public procurement markets’ (own initiative report)

For more information please contact the INT Section Secretariat