About the event 

             On 28 November, distinguished professors and experts from across Europe convened in Brussels for an expert meeting organized under the Belgian and Flemish research consortium Circular Economy Center, dedicated to advancing policy-relevant research in the circular economy (CE) context. Representing the consortium was the Sapiens Lead Researcher Prof Steven Van Garsse, alongside UHasselt Assistant Prof. Jonas Voorter and researcher Maëlle Rixhon.

The meeting featured the presentation of the latest research report on Green and Circular Public Procurement (GPP/CPP) by Maëlle Rixhon, which set the stage for a series of engaging presentations and discussions. Experts from various countries shared their experiences and perspectives on Green Public Procurement (GPP) and the role of CE in driving sustainability.

The opening presentation was delivered by Sapiens Lead Researcher, Prof. Roberto Caranta, who provided insights into Italy’s approach to GPP based on mandatory criteria enforceable through court action. This was followed by Prof. Stéphane De La Rosa who explored recent developments in France’s legislative framework touching upon CE, namely, the 2020 law combatting waste and the circular economy, and 2023 law on green industry and highlighted the country’s commitment to sustainability through the SPASER (Schéma de Promotion des Achats publics Socialement et Économiquement Responsables) program.

Further contributions included a presentation by Prof. Yseult Marique from the University of Essex, who examined CE’s implementation in the United Kingdom, and Prof. Kirsi-Maria Halonen from the University of Lapland, who discussed how the Finnish government’s focus prioritizes effective public spending and market competition over sustainability.

The afternoon sessions offered a deep dive into the Portuguese experience, Prof. Miguel Assis Raimundo from the University of Lisbon outlined the role of soft law initiatives and recommendations in enabling GPP and how the Portuguese procurement law went further in explicitly referencing the CE in the articles on contractual terms and award criteria. The discussion then moved eastward as expert Guler Abbasova shared valuable insights into green and circular public procurement, alongside public-private partnership models in Azerbaijan.

The event concluded with presentations by Prof. Pedro Telles from the Copenhagen Business School, who highlighted new public procurement legislation in the United Kingdom with a strong sustainability focus, and Prof. Sarah Schoenmakers from the University of Maastricht, who provided updates on the latest advancements in Dutch public procurement and in particular on the ‘MVI-criteriatool’ a set of tools with a specific focus on CE that help contracting authorities keep the ambitions concrete.

This meeting underscored the importance of collaborative research and dialogue in addressing the complex challenges of integrating sustainability and circular economy principles into European public procurement policies.

Insights on Consumer-Focused Research and the Right to Repair

As part of the Sapiens Network, PhD researcher Aura Iurascu presented her ongoing research on procurement, also focusing on the role of consumers in advancing CE principles. Her presentation provided a detailed examination of the right to repair in the EU and Belgium.

She began by outlining key innovations introduced by Directive 2024/1799, including:

• The European Repair Information Form (Article 4), which standardizes information for consumers;
• The creation of a European Online Platform for Repair (Article 7);
• The 12-month extension of the legal guarantee after a repair is performed; and
• The new obligation to repair (Article 5).

In her analysis, she highlighted potential legal challenges, such as defining a “reasonable price” for repairs, determining when a product is deemed “impossible” to repair, addressing liability issues for foreign goods, and balancing the right to repair with intellectual property rights.

Her presentation then shifted focus to Belgium’s specific legislative measures on repair, introduced through Law 17 March 2024 and associated decrees (Royal Decree 25 May 2024, Royal Decree 3 June 2024 and Ministerial Decree 12 July 2024 published in the Belgian official gazette MB 4.9.24). Belgium has implemented a repairability index, a scoring system from 1 to 10 that evaluates products based on factors such as:

• The availability of technical documentation and user guidance from manufacturers;
• Ease of dismantling and availability of spare parts;
• The timeframe for which spare parts remain available on the market;
• Selling price; and
• Other criteria tailored to specific product categories.

Starting May 2025, this index must be displayed alongside the selling price for various product categories, such as dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers, laptops (excluding tablets), and electric bicycles or scooters. The Belgian repairability index mirrors similar initiatives in France and includes specific penalties for non-compliance. It also allows for the possibility of replacing the index with a harmonized sustainability index at the EU level in the future.

Despite these advancements, the EU and Belgian legislations currently limit their application to goods purchased by natural persons for non-professional use, leaving public procurement largely unaffected. However, the French legislative framework has been cited as a model for bridging private and public concerns under a unified CE strategy. It was noted that a repairability index could become a valuable tool for public authorities, particularly if its requirements are extended to additional product categories at the EU level.

Conclusions of the Expert Meeting

The expert meeting in Brussels brought together leading researchers and professors from across Europe to exchange insights on the evolving landscape of Green Public Procurement and the circular economy.

Key takeaways included the recognition of the critical role of political will in embedding sustainability into procurement processes and the associated risks of regressing from the progress achieved so far. Participants also emphasized the importance of closely monitoring upcoming reforms of the EU Procurement and Concessions Directives to ensure they align with sustainability goals.

The event concluded with a shared optimism about the future potential of CE initiatives and a commitment among researchers and policymakers to integrate sustainability into procurement practices across Europe further.