Innspill til revisjon av EUs regler for offentlige anskaffelser

Sirk Norge welcomes the European Commission's initiative to revise the public procurement rules. Circularity is essential for securing a resilient supply of secondary raw materials, reducing dependence on third countries for raw materials, and ensuring strategic autonomy. Therefore circularity must be a core criterion to shift public investment toward sustainable businesses,
thereby strengthening economic sovereignty in the EEA.

The revision is a unique opportunity to create lead markets for secondary raw materials and products which is key to accelerating the transition to a circular economy. By making circularity a mandatory pillar of public procurement, the EU can simultaneously achieve its environmental goals and strengthen its industrial competitiveness.

To achieve this, we propose the introduction of mandatory circularity objectives. These should be concrete obligations using qualitative standards and weighting, rather than focusing solely on the lowest price. Furthermore, the revision should implement a “comply or explain” mechanism that requires contracting authorities to justify the decision if circularity criteria are not utilized. Finally, the EU should establish a best-practice register (modeled
after BAT/BREF) to help contracting authorities share knowledge and successful circular models.