Public procurement is a powerful tool that shapes economies and drives social and environmental progress. The 2014/24/EU Public Procurement Directives set the framework for how EU governments spend a staggering 14% of the EU’s GDP each year, yet, despite its potential, there are significant questions about whether it has truly delivered on SMEs access, sustainability and fairness.

The Fair Trade Movement’s position paper presents key recommendations to strengthen strategic public procurement, ensuring that this substantial public spending benefits businesses that generate positive social and environmental impacts.

The paper is part of the Fair Trade Movement's contribution to the European Commission's call for evidence and public consultation on the evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives.

Read the full position paper here. 

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Want to learn more? Read our Desk Research mapping how contracting authorities assess public procurement’s social, economic, and environmental impacts and whether they foster policies for strategic procurement, focusing on Fair Trade case studies.

Get in touch

For more information about the FTAO's work on Public Procurement, please reach out to Paola Plaku, Senior Policy and Project Officer at plaku@fairtrade-advocacy.org