New Steps Towards Sustainable Public Procurement in Ukraine in the Context of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement

Abstract

In the context of implementing the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in April 2020, a new version of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Public Procurement’ came into effect. It introduces a significant transformation in the public procurement system which could facilitate the strategic use of public procurement to achieve broader societal goals, and provides new opportunities for sustainable public procurement in Ukraine. This paper firstly presents the background of relations between Ukraine and the EU in terms of procurement. Secondly, special consideration is given to changes in the legal framework for technical specifications and contract award criteria as important tools in achieving the relevant sustainable development goals within public procurement. Finally, the paper focuses on the difference in conceptual approaches to the strategic use of public procurement in the EU and Ukraine.

Keywords

• public procurement
• ‘green’ public procurement
• socially responsible public procurement
• sustainable public procurement
• sustainable development
• ukraine
• the eu-ukraine association agreement