Free webinar: 22 March 2024 *revised time* 1pm UK / 2pm CET / 3pm EET. Registration here.
The role of competition in public procurement regulation continues to be debated. While it is generally accepted that the proper functioning of procurement markets requires some level of competition – and the European Court of Auditors has recently pointed out that current levels of competition for public contracts in the EU are not satisfactory – the 'legal ranking' and normative weight of competition concerns are much less settled.
This has been evidenced in a recent wave of academic discussion on whether there is a general principle of competition at all in Directive 2014/24/EU, what is its normative status and how it ranks vis-à-vis sustainability and environmental considerations, and what are its practical implications for the interpretation and application of EU public procurement law.
Bringing together voices representing a wide range of views, this webinar will explore these issues and provide a space for reflective discussion on competition and public procurement. The webinar won't settle the debate, but hopefully it will allow us to take stock and outline thoughts for the next wave of discussion. It will also provide an opportunity for an interactive Q&A.
Speakers:
Prof Roberto Caranta, Full Professor of Administrative Law, University of Turin.
Mr Trygve Harlem Losnedahl, PhD researcher, University of Oslo.
Dr Dagne Sabockis, Senior Associate, Vinge law firm; Stockholm School of Economics.
Prof Albert Sanchez-Graells, Professor of Economic Law, University of Bristol.
Pre- or post-reading:
Claire Methven O’Brien and Roberto Caranta, ‘Due Diligence in EU Institutions' Own-Account Procurement: Rules and Practices’ (2024) European Parliament CONT Committee Study PE 738.335, Annex II.
Trygve Harlem Losnedahl, ‘The General Principle of Competition is Dead’ (2023) 2 PPLR 85-98 (£/€).
Trygve Harlem Losnedahl, ‘Ends and Means in the Regulation of Public Procurement — a legal historical analysis’, English translation of the original article written in Norwegian in Tidsskrift for Rettsvitenskap, vol. 136, 4/2023, 359–442.
Dagne Sabockis, ‘The Principle of Competition in the Context of Green Public Procurement – the Case of Green Award Criteria’ (2023) 18(4) EPPPL 237-243 (£/€).
Albert Sanchez-Graells, ‘Competition and procurement regulation’ in Carina Risvig Hamer et al (eds), Into the Northern Light – In memory of Steen Treumer (Ex Tuto, 2022) 65-81. Pre-print available through SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4012022.