EU GPP Helpdesk Webinar 'Preserving water through public procurement'

On 10 April 2025, from 14:00 to 15:30 CEST, the first EP GPP Helpdesk webinar of 2025 took place. It dealt with the topic of water resources and their management through public procurement. 

Water management and water resources can affect a substantial part of economic activities and industries. By incorporating water-related criteria into procurement decisions — such as prioritising water-efficient technologies, infrastructures and practices that minimise water wastage and pollution — public buyers can drive significant reductions in water consumption and scarcity, while improving water quality. This is especially important given reports from the European Environment Agency (EEA) highlighting the ongoing challenges of water scarcity, pollution and ecosystem degradation across Europe. Green public procurement not only mitigates environmental impacts, but also supports the EU's broader environmental and climate objectives, fostering healthier aquatic ecosystems and safeguarding water resources for future generations. In addition, public authorities can purchase infrastructure that helps manage droughts and floods.

The seminar included an exhaustive analysis given by the European Environment Agency on the state of the art of this topic in Europe, looking at different sectors that are most affected by the issue, as well as contributions of practical cases in public procurement processes from Italy and Portugal, in addition to the design of criteria for sustainable development prepared by the Swedish National Procurement Agency.  

The webinar had the following speakers:

• Welcome and Introduction from the EU GPP Helpdesk, Ivan Azevedo, Policy Officer, Unit B.1, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission.
• Overview of the state of water in Europe, Dr. Caroline Whalley, Expert, Water Industries and Pollution, European Environment Agency.
• Use of water-saving techniques criteria in contracts, Andrea Sabbadini, Manager of the Expenditure Monitoring Department of the Regional Health Service, Lazio Region, Italy.
• Improving water quality through public procurement, Anette Svensson, Sustainability Specialist, Upphandlingsmyndigheten (Swedish National Agency for Public Procurement), Sweden. 
• Increasing resilience to floods and droughts - The Lisbon General Drainage Plan, Goncalo Diniz Vieira, Deputy Coordinator, Lisbon City Council, Portugal

The recording of the webinar can be found online in CIRCABC