Shaping EU Public Procurement Law


Book Description

The first part of the book offers a unique reflection on enduring themes in public procurement law such as the shaping of the scope of this regulatory regime, the development of tighter criteria for the exclusion of candidates and tenderers, the conduct of qualitative selection, the consolidation of the court’s previous approach to technical specifications, new developments in tender evaluation, the inclusion of contract performance clauses with a social orientation, and, last but not least, the development of interpretive guidance concerning several aspects of the procurement remedies regime. The book shows that the period 2015–2017 has been an interesting and rather intense period for the development of EU public procurement law, where the CJEU has not only consolidated some parts of its long-standing procurement case law but also introduced significant innovations that can create future challenges for the consistency of this regulatory regime. The first part of the book concludes with some thoughts on some of the salient aspects of this recent episode of silent reform of EU public procurement law through CJEU case law. The second part of the book contains the essential excerpts of forty-one chronologically ordered judgments issued by the CJEU in the period 2015–2017, which have been selected because they either raise new issues or important matters of public procurement law. Each of the selected judgments is followed by an exhaustive and critical in-depth analysis, highlighting and providing insight into its legal and practical issues and consequences. An exhaustive subject-index offers the reader quick and easy access to the case law treated in this book. This unique book, a ‘must-have’ reference work for judges and courts of all EU Member States and candidate countries and academics and legal professionals who are active in the field of procurement law, will also be valuable for law libraries and law schools across the world and for law students who focus their research and studies on EU law.




EU Public Procurement Law & Self-organisation


Book Description

The nexus between EU public procurement law and self-organisation of the Member States and their public authorities in the European Union is often misunderstood. This book is the fi rst comprehensive analysis of this relationship and aims to provide a greater understanding of this topic. It creates food for thought to improve the law. This book offers in-depth studies on how EU public procurement law interacts with the most noteworthy aspects of self-organisation on the national level. The allocation of responsibilities and competences, self-supply, institutionalised cooperation, non-institutionalised cooperation, cooperation based on exclusive rights and the make-or-buy decision are scrutinised. Based on qualitative and comparative research, it provides a detailed discussion of these exclusions and exemptions from EU public procurement law in light of the 2014 Directives on public procurement, the case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Dutch Courts, and other relevant sources. Timely and engaging, this book will appeal to academic scholars, legislators and practitioners interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the scope of EU public procurement law. Exploring the discretionary power for public authorities to organize themselves, it will also inform these authorities when they aim to provide services with their own resources or in cooperation with other authorities. Similarly, it informs third parties that want to uphold the obligations of the law before the courts.




Public Procurement and the EU Competition Rules


Book Description

Public procurement and competition law are both important fields of EU law and policy, intimately intertwined in the creation of the internal market. Hitherto their close connection has been noted, but not closely examined. This work is the most comprehensive attempt to date to explain the many ways in which these fields, often considered independent of one another, interact and overlap in the creation of the internal market. This process of convergence between competition and public procurement law is particularly apparent in the 2014 Directives on public procurement, which consolidate the principle of competition in terms very close to those advanced by the author in the first edition. This second edition builds upon this approach and continues to ask how competition law principles inform and condition public procurement rules, and whether the latter (in their revised form) are adequate to ensure that competition is not distorted. The second edition also deepens the analysis of the market behaviour of the public buyer from a competition perspective. Proceeding through a careful assessment of the general rules of competition and public procurement, the book constantly tests the efficacy of these rules against a standard of the proper functioning of undistorted competition in the market for public procurement. It also traces the increasing relevance of competition considerations in the case law of the Court of Justice of the European Union and sets out criteria and recommendations to continue influencing the development of EU Economic Law.




Reformation or Deformation of the EU Public Procurement Rules


Book Description

Using an innovative 'law and political science' methodology, this timely book carries out a critical assessment of the reform of the EU public procurement rules. It provides a rich account of the policy directions and the spaces for national regulatory decisions in the transposition of the 2014 Public Procurement Package, as well as areas of uncertainty and indications on how to interpret the rules in order to make them operational in practice. Most EU law research focuses on the content of rules and the impact of case law on their interpretation and application. It rarely discusses how the CJEU's case law influences the creation of new rules, or the way EU law-makers enact them - issues which, conversely, are a staple for political scientists. By blending both approaches this book finds that political science provides a useful framework to describe the law-making process and shows that the influence of the CJEU was significant. Though the specific case studies identify many reforms, the ultimate assessment is that EU public procurement law was deformed. Offering a clear contribution to the emerging scholarship on 'flexible' EU law-making, this book's novel methodology will appeal to scholars and students of both law and political science. Law- and policy-makers as well as legal practitioners will also find its practical approach compelling.--Résumé de l'éditeur.




European Public Procurement


Book Description

This detailed Commentary provides an authoritative interpretation of each provision in the main EU Directive on public procurement - Directive 2014/24/EU, and is rich in its critical analysis of the provisions of the 2014 Directive and the case-law. The Commentary also highlights the application problems and interpretative issues being raised in EU Member States, which in due time will make their way up to the CJEU or even require further legislative interventions.




Enforcement of the EU Public Procurement Rules


Book Description

The field of EU public procurement law is one of the few fields of EU law where a very developed enforcement regime is in place. Furthermore, recent legislation and practice from the European Court of Justice ensures an even higher level of effectiveness. This book focuses on the national enforcement of the EU public procurement rules (as enforcement mainly takes place at national level) and the recent changes introduced with Remedies Directive 2007/66 which are important but also unclear on substantial points. The new remedy ineffectiveness of concluded contracts will be given particular attention. Enforcement at the supranational level is also considered, with emphasis on the possible interaction between national and supranational enforcement of the rules.




EU Public Procurement Law


Book Description

ïThe Second Edition of EU Public Procurement Law provides a comprehensive view of the policies, legislation and cases that define this area of law. Written from a pan-European perspective, it will be a useful guide for students and practitioners alike. As well as describing the public contracts, utilities and remedies directives, this work details the European cases that have shaped the law and the relationship between procurement law and other forms of regulation such as state aid. Of particular interest to the practitioner, there are specific sections on remedies, evaluation criteria and different forms of procurement such as services concessions, public-private partnerships and public-public partnerships.Í _ Hazel Grant, Partner, Bristows, London, UK Acclaim for first edition: ïThis book will serve as an essential resource for anyone interested in the legal regime of public procurement. It offers a comprehensive and topical analysis of EU law and its interaction with national law and policies in an area of growing economic importance.Í _ Ruth Nielsen, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark In this fully revised and updated edition, Christopher Bovis provides a detailed, critical, concise and accessible overview of the public procurement legal framework and its interaction with policies within the European Union and the its Member States. Public procurement represents an essential part of the Single Market project, launched by European Institutions in 2011. Its regulation will insert competition and transparency in the market and be a safeguard to the attainment of fundamental principles of the Treaties. This book demonstrates the impact of the relevant Directives on Member States through the development of the case law of the European Court of Justice and assesses the judicial review of public contracts at national level. It positions public procurement at the centre of the legal and policy debate surrounding the delivery of public services and the advancement of competitiveness and industrial policy in the EU. The book highlights the pivotal role of public procurement for the Europe 2020 Growth Strategy. Demonstrating the concepts and principles of public procurement, this comprehensive book will have a strong appeal to academic researchers, lawyers, judges, practitioners, and policymakers at the European, international and national levels as well as students of law, policy and management.




Shaping EU Law the British Way


Book Description

In this book, leading scholars of EU law, judges, and practitioners unpack the judicial reasoning offered by the UK Advocates General in over forty cases at the Court of Justice, which have influenced the shape of EU law. The authors place the Opinions in the wider context of the EU legal order, and mix praise with critique in order to determine the true contribution of the UK Advocates General, before hearing the concluding reflections by the UK Advocates General themselves. The role of Advocates General at the Court of Justice of the European Union remains notoriously under-researched. With a few notable exceptions, not much ink has been spilled on analysing their contribution to the judicial discourse that emerges from the Court's Palais in Luxembourg. More generally, their impact on the shaping of EU law is only sporadically explored. This book fills the lacunae by offering an in-depth analysis of the way in which the UK Advocates General contributed to development of EU law during 47 years of the UK's membership of the EU. During their terms of office, Advocates General Jean-Pierre Warner (1973-1981), Gordon Slynn (1981-1988), Francis Jacobs (1988-2006), and Eleanor Sharpston (2006-2020) delivered over 1400 Opinions. This staggering contribution of the four individuals and their cabinets of legal secretaries was supplemented by an Opinion of a then Judge of the Court of First Instance, David Edward, who was called to act as an Advocate General in two joined cases in what is now the General Court. With the last UK Advocate General departing from the Court of Justice in September 2020, an important era has ended. With this watershed moment, it is apt to take a look back and critically analyse the contribution to development of EU law made by the UK Advocates General, and to elucidate the lasting impact they have had on the nature of EU law.




Understanding EU Decision-Making


Book Description

This book presents in a concise and accessible way why the EU institutional system exists in its present form, how the EU fits into the world as a system of governance, and who is involved in EU policy processes. It outlines the historical context which has shaped the EU system, gives a summary of the system's basic principles and structures, and describes its actors, procedures and instruments. The main theme is to show that EU decision-making is not just a matter of action at some higher and separate level, of ‘them and us’, but rather that it involves different forms of cooperation between European, national and regional authorities, as well as interaction between public and private actors. Numerous short case studies illustrate how people’s day-to-day activities are affected by EU decisions, and how individuals’ concerns are represented in the decision-making process. The book provides insights and examples which will be very helpful for all students of European integration. It will also be a valuable resource for European citizens wishing to understand the basic realities and rationales, as well as some of the dilemmas, behind EU policy-making.




Trading Voices


Book Description

The European Union, the world's foremost trader, is not an easy bargainer to deal with. Its twenty-five member states have relinquished most of their sovereignty in trade to the supranational level, and in international commercial negotiations, such as those conducted under the World Trade Organization, the EU speaks with a "single voice." This single voice has enabled the Brussels-based institution to impact the distributional outcomes of international trade negotiations and shape the global political economy. Trading Voices is the most comprehensive book about the politics of trade policy in the EU and the role of the EU as a central actor in international commercial negotiations. Sophie Meunier explores how this pooling of trade policy-making and external representation affects the EU's bargaining power in international trade talks. Using institutionalist analysis, she argues that its complex institutional procedures and multiple masters have, more than once, forced its trade partners to give in to an EU speaking with a single voice. Through analysis of four transatlantic commercial negotiations over agriculture, public procurement, and civil aviation, Trading Voices explores the politics of international trade bargaining. It also addresses the salient political question of whether efficiency at negotiating comes at the expense of democratic legitimacy. Finally, this book looks at how the EU, with its recent enlargement and proposed constitution, might become an even more formidable rival to the United States in shaping globalization.