Public Procurement in the Single European Market: Policy and Prospects Available to Purchase

The removal of discriminatory public procurement has presented a major policy issue for the European Community in the move towards the 1992 Single European Market. Considers three questions: why have governments traditionally adopted “buy national” purchasing policies and what are the potential benefits associated with a single market for EC public procurement?; which policies have the EC adopted to liberalize public contracting?; and how effective is the Community′s new public procurement regime?