Title: 5% in 5 years. Green procurement for a green economy

Funder: Project co-financed by a grant from Switzerland through the Swiss Contribution for EUA.

Year: 2014

In order to create a market for organic products in Romania and to make public spending accountable, a Green Public Procurement Law and a Multiannual Green Procurement Plan in Romania are required.

A percentage of 20% of ecological purchases out of total public procurement expenses would mean a market for organic products of at least 20 billion lei. These are the main conclusions of the study of the Center for Sustainable Ecopolis Policies: “Green Public Procurement in Romania. Environmental protection through responsible public spending ”.

The European Commission has established that by 2010, 50% of all public procurement will be green. The target has not been reached by all EU states, but many of them have important targets and results such as Finland, which by 2010 has achieved the performance of purchasing 70% green products and services in state institutions. Romania has not so far adopted a National Action Plan on green public procurement, being among the last states without a strategy in this regard.

Thus, the study shows that the Green Public Procurement Law will promote:

  • Developing a market for environmentally friendly products, services and works that will lead to improving their environmental performance
  • Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere.

In addition to the framework law, the study also recommends the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MMSC) to adopt a Multiannual National Plan for Green Public Procurement, which will set targets for various groups of works, products and services, as well as other measures to facilitate the application of the proposed rules. and maintaining the minimum threshold for green public procurement at national level:

  • Establishing ecological criteria for product groups, services and works that are not regulated by the EC
  • Implementation of the guide for Green Public Procurement
  • Dissemination of the concept of green public procurement
  • Development of public support tools (website, support service, etc.).

The study is part of a larger project to promote Green Public Procurement. Thus, until now, within the MMSC the Law on Green Public Procurement was drafted following the collaboration protocol signed between the Center for Sustainable Policies Ecopolis and the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in 2013.

The law was voted in Parliament and published in the Official Gazette. Ecopolis and partners from the country have previously organized 8 public debates in all regions of the country to discuss with local and central authorities, as well as politicians, nongovernmental organizations and other interested persons the provisions of the law and the need for the multi-annual plan for Green Public Procurement. The first debate of this kind took place on March 14 in Timisoara.

Download here the study “Green public procurement in Romania. Environmental protection through responsible public spending ” (Only in Romanian).