Le strategie europee per l’innovazione nei contratti pubblici

Abstract

European strategies for innovation in public contracts – For years, European policies have been oriented towards the use of public contracts as an incentive for the pursuit of secondary goals. Sustainability and innovation are identified as criterion for evaluating the performance of the public sector. The implications are particular in the public contracts sector. The pursuit of these goals seems to have slowed down especially in legal orders characterized by a greater legal tradition and in which purchasing methods have been consolidated for a longer time. This article aims to point out the different meanings of innovation concept in the public contracts sector, focusing in particular on the concepts of "environmental innovation" and "social innovation". The analysis of the legal instruments envisaged at European level and the best practices developed by the Member States to favour integration among the several legal orders intends to highlight the activity carried out with the support of the European Union and the need for change at national and local level in order to make the goals set at European level effective.