Brussels, 25/09/2008 (Agence Europe) - In conclusions adopted on Thursday 25 September, the Competitiveness Council, meeting in Brussels, gave its backing to having 50% of public procurement awarded for ecological contracts in each member state. The “greening” of public procurement can be defined as a process by which public purchasers seek to procure goods, services and works which have a lesser impact on the environment throughout the whole lifecycle. Through their support for environmentally friendly goods and technologies, “green” public contracts can help promote a competitive and innovative European knowledge economy, the Council says. It, therefore, gives its support to the Commission initiative to strengthen the greening of public contracts through measures and targets decided on a voluntarily, based on best technologies and practices, in cooperation with member states. It has made the greening of public contracts an area for cooperation in the European Cities' Mayors Pact, which is due to come into effect in 2009. The Council, then, welcomes the definition of joint arrangements for greening public procurement - such as selection criteria, technical specifications, award criteria and performance clauses - in ten priority sectors (construction, food and catering services, transport and transport services, energy, office machinery and computers, clothing, uniforms and other textiles, paper and printing services, furnishings, cleaning products and services, equipment used in the health sector). Furthermore, it supports the indicative target proposed by the Commission of 50% green public contracts in every member state, based on the use of one or more arrangements and over a wide range of sectors (see above). Member states will be free to set their own objectives for each sector, in the light of the current level of green public contracts, to reach the overall 50% target, and to apply more ambitious targets to its green public contracts. The Council, then, calls on the Commission to develop a flexible evaluation methodology cutting red tape to a minimum, so that member states can assess progress made in the priority sectors from 2010. It encourages the Commission to pursue its efforts to develop a comprehensive greening policy for public contracts at European level. (E.H./transl.rt)