Some history
2003: the Integrated Product Policy
In 2003, the European Commission adopted a Communication on Integrated Product Policy (IPP). This outlined its strategy for reducing the environmental impact caused by products. In this Communication, the Commission decided on several actions to stimulate continuous improvement in the environmental performance of products throughout their complete life-cycle.
In the relevant chapter on Green Public Procurement, the Commission encourages Member States to draw up publicly available National Action Plans (NAPs) for greening their public procurement. These should contain an assessment of the existing situation and ambitious targets for the next three years. The NAPs should also clearly state what measures will be taken to achieve this. They should be drawn up for the first time by the end of 2006 and then revised every three years.
The NAPs will not be legally-binding but will provide political impetus to the process of implementing and raising awareness of greener public procurement. They will also allow Member States to choose the options that best suit their political framework and the level they have reached. At the same time, they will enable an exchange of best practices in facilitating greener public procurement.
2004: the Environmental Technologies Action Plan
In 2004, based on the aims of the EU Lisbon Agenda, the European Commission launched the Environmental Technologies Action Plan , ETAP for short. Its objective is to stimulate the development and use of environmental technologies in Europe. (more detail can be found on the ETAP website)
One of the means listed to improve market conditions for environmental technologies is the greening of public procurement.
In its 2005 Communication ‘Report on the implementation of the Environmental Technologies Action Plan ’, the European Commission has again underlined the need for adopting national action plans on GPP. |
