The Evolution of the Idea of Sustainability and its Development as a Strategic Issue in European Public Procurement

Abstract

In the face of deepening ecological, social, economic and moral crises, the need for sustainable development has become a phenomenon that permeates and determines every aspect of our lives and cannot be ignored even in public procurement. Satisfying vast public needs through public procurement can draw the attention of manufacturers, retailers and consumers to new challenges to the survival of our planet and society. This context is supported by the European legislator, who made sustainable development a strategic goal for public procurement in the EU by adopting three new public procurement directives in 2014. While the use of environmental, social and innovative criteria is no longer generally required, the strategic objectives are incorporated throughout the public procurement process. It is now up to public procurement practitioners to seize the opportunities offered by the legislator and be prepared to use new, untried tools and techniques to ensure a sustainable and better future, even at the risk of being sued in the courts. The modern objectives in public procurement are in line with point 137 of Pope Francis’ encyclical ‘Praise Be to You’ of June 2015, which calls for a ‘comprehensive ecology’, ‘including human and social dimensions’.