February, 10 2014 Meeting was held with the expert in the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe and economic consultant in Geneva Mr. Dieter Hesse, and the representative of the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, Ms Biljana Kilibarda in the premises of the Public Procurement Administration. Sandra Škatarić, the head of Sector for professional development, training and international cooperation in the field of public procurement presided over the meeting.

The subject and main interests of the discussion were the current position of Montenegro in its path to the European Integration regarding the green procurement policy sector. The field of sustainable public procurement encompasses the social and green aspects of public procurement, the relation to the small and medium-sized enterprises and the issues of innovation as well.

The guidelines of the basic principles and the general goals intended for the regulation of this field are contained in the Strategy for development of the public procurement system in Montenegro for the period 2011-2015; As one of the general objectives of the public procurement, it would encourage the sustainable economic growth in Montenegro and increase the living standard of the citizens. It is recommendable by this Strategy to develop the green procurement system that “includes the application and observance of the principle of the environmental protection and of the various socio-economic issues in the public procurement procedures“; also the steps that the competent institution should undertake in the segment of ecological and social aspects of the public procurement. As the main prerequisite for the implementation of the sustainable public procurement, Public Procurement Law shall provide the opportunity for the selection of the economically most favourable bid as the criterion for selection of the most favourable bid (Article 93). In the case of appliance of this criteria, Public Procurement Law shall provide the opportunity for inclusion of the following sub-criteria which are in line with the guides of the sustainability: program and degree of environmental protection, or energy efficiency; aesthetic and functional characteristics (Article 94). It is prescribed by this Law that the criteria and sub-criteria may not be discriminatory and shall be bound to the content of the public procurement subject matter.

As it is stated in conclusion, the competence of implementing of the Strategy, and of the Law as well is with the Public Procurement Administration performing and will be performing the tasks in association with the following of the Ministries: Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism (in the field of green public procurement, strategic planning and trainings); Ministry of Economy (in the field of energy efficiency, renewable energy, small and medium-sized enterprises and innovation); Ministry of Science (in the field of innovation); and Ministry of Transport (in the field concerning fuel consumption efficiency); In this regard the organization of the workshops will be planned in the next period aiming to raise the public awareness on the relevance of the above area.