ABSTRACT
In December 1996, the European Commission published the Green Paper on Public Procurement: Exploring the Way Forward. In this document the Commission has reflected on the law and policy of public procurement particularly since the completion of the internal market. The Green Paper has recognised the complementarity of public procurement with other Community and national policies. Because of the economic importance of public procurement, an effective regulatory regime on the law and policy of public purchasing in the European Community is considered as fundamental to the success of the common market. The effectiveness of the public procurement regime would bring about cost-efficiency gains for the public sector, which could consequently affect the success of fiscal deficit reduction policies imposed by the Maastricht convergence criteria. The acid test for the qualitative implementation of the public procurement Directives is access to justice at national level.
