Press Release: Public procurement: Commission welcomes conciliation agreement on simplified and modernised legislation

The European Commission welcomed the agreement reached in Brussels on 2 December 2003 by representatives of the European Parliament and the EU's Council of Ministers, after a successful conciliation procedure, on the legislative package simplifying and modernising the public procurement Directives. The Directives impose competitive tendering for public contracts, transparency and equal treatment for all tenderers to ensure that the contract is awarded to the tender offering best value for money. The package of amendments was proposed by the Commission in May 2000. The main point at issue was the circumstances in which contracting authorities could take social and environmental criteria into account in attributing contracts. This has now been resolved, on the basis of recent case law from the European Court of Justice. Conciliation procedures take place when the European Parliament, the Council and the Commission have been unable to reach full agreement on a Commission legislative proposal but where enough common ground exists to suggest that such agreement might be achievable. The agreement reached by the conciliation committee will now need to be ratified by a plenary session of the Parliament and by the Council.

http://consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/cep/78182.pdf http://consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/en/cep/78182.pdf

http://simap.eu.int/A/2330efb7-0aab-b34c-04c0377ccce3f48d_en.html http://simap.eu.int/A/2330efb7-0aab-b34c-04c0377ccce3f48d_en.html

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