Last summer, in July 2025, I successfully defended my PhD dissertation at the University of Hasselt before a committee of esteemed EU specialists in public procurement and circular economy. But that milestone was just the beginning. Over the past year, I have refined my arguments, updated the data, and transformed that academic research into an actionable roadmap for the modern economy. Finally, I am thrilled to announce that this work has fruitfully developed into a book.

Why Public Procurement Matters

Public procurement represents a fundamental, yet historically underutilised, lever of economic influence within the European internal market. Annually, public authorities across the EU spend approximately €2 trillion on works, goods, and services, accounting for roughly 15% of the EU’s total GDP. Because public institutions possess this massive purchasing power, their decisions can actively shape market dynamics, dictate supply chain standards, and signal shifting economic priorities to private industries.

Yet, we are largely stuck. The contemporary global economy remains overwhelmingly locked into a traditional linear economy model, which operates on a highly damaging “take-make-use-dispose” cycle. As highlighted by recent United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) assessments, this linear pattern is driving an unprecedented planetary crisis characterised by climate instability, rapid biodiversity loss, critical water scarcity, and severe resource depletion. Thus, how can public procurement be used as a lever for the circular economy? The book proposes some solutions in this regard!

Bridging the Legal Certainty Gap

While the EU Green Deal frequently invokes the circular economy (CE) to decouple economic growth from resource consumption, a profound gap exists between these aspirational policy goals and the day-to-day legal realities of procurement officers.

What does a “circular economy” actually mean in a legal context? It aims to replace the linear model with a circular one that maintains the value of products, materials, and resources on the market for as long as possible, minimizing waste. It relies on the “R” strategies: recycling, reusing, remaking, refurbishing, reducing, remanufacturing, and rethinking. This book relies on the CE definition set by the EU Taxonomy Regulation.

Despite these core features, CE remains a disputed concept that demands legal certainty. Furthermore, existing academic literature and policy frameworks suffer from conceptual fragmentation, often blurring the legal boundaries between Green Public Procurement (GPP), Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP), and Circular Public Procurement (CPP).

This lack of precision breeds legal uncertainty and fear of violating core internal market principles. This book aims to bridge the gap between CE concepts and public procurement legislation to advance sustainability considerations in light of the current EU agenda on decarbonization, competitiveness, and security.

The book delivers several distinct scientific findings that include:

• The shift in the legal basis: Initially, in the 1980s, CE objectives were strictly grounded in the EU’s environmental policy (now Articles 191-194 TFEU). Today, the CE is treated as an essential strategy for long-term economic competitiveness, security, and strategic autonomy. Consequently, its legal centre of gravity has shifted toward Article 114 TFEU (Internal Market).
• The EU Taxonomy tool: The research underscores the vital need to integrate the EU Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852 directly into public procurement with CE-oriented objectives. A combined interpretation is essential to advance a stronger, unified legal push toward circular purchasing. Without structural coordination, private companies face a double standard. One set of circular metrics is when seeking sustainable finance (via the EU Taxonomy), but a different, uncoordinated set of criteria is when bidding for public tenders. This book argues for a straightforward mechanism to mirror Taxonomy criteria during public tender phases.

Blueprint for Reform: 2026 Policy Recommendations

Now in 2026, these actionable policy recommendations are more timely and critical than ever, especially as Europe navigates its next phase of regulatory updates. Therefore, the book brings suggestions for reform and drafts model recitals:

• For the upcoming EU Circular Economy Act (e.g., on the use of both Articles 114 and 192 TFEU to bridge single-market harmonization with environmental policy; Integration and align existing definitions from the EU Taxonomy, the Waste Framework Directive, the Ecodesign Regulation into a standardized chapter for public purchasing, etc.); and
• For the Fifth EU Public Procurement Package (e.g., codification of a clear CE definition and reformulation of Article 18(2); consolidation of all scattered sectoral mandatory GPP criteria into a single, unified Annex; mandatory GPP criteria, etc. ).

Moving From Aspirational Policy to Binding Reality

The practical value of this research lies in its capacity to bridge the gap between abstract academic theory and operational market reality. I call this the “codification of sustainability”. This work elevates CE from an aspirational policy to a set of enforceable objectives under public procurement law.

• For contracting authorities: It provides clear guidelines and best practices, giving procurement officers the legal confidence to launch circular tenders without fear of litigation.
• For economic operators: It ensures that forward-thinking companies investing in circular business models are not unfairly penalised by outdated, rigid procurement rules that automatically favour the lowest upfront sticker price.
• For society: By conducting a detailed comparative analysis of different national capabilities (specifically focusing on Italy and Belgium), it outlines how procurement frameworks can be tailored to fit localised institutional structures.

Whether you are a policymaker shaping the future of EU law, a procurement officer looking for practical legal confidence, or an eco-innovator wanting to play fair game in public tenders, this book was written for you.

I invite you to grab your copy and let me know your thoughts!