The
Delegation of the European Union to Bosnia and Herzegovina/EU Special
Representative Office very much welcomes today’s adoption of the new
Public Procurement Law by the House of Peoples of BiH.  The EUD/EUSR
commends the hard work of the Public Procurement Agency of BiH to get
this law adopted as well as the Members of the Parliamentary Assembly of
BiH who supported this important law. We note that the solution was
achieved in a spirit of compromise between the different stakeholders.

The
new legislation overhauls the current public procurement rules and
transposes relevant EU directives which are proved to save taxpayers’
money and guarantee boosting of a fair competition. The EU compliant
procurement system is a very effective anti-corruption measure that
would ensure efficiency of public spending and, ultimately, a better
quality of public services. Adoption of the new acquis compliant law would make the public
procurement system in BiH more efficient and more strategic, respecting
the principles of transparency and competition to the benefit of both
public purchasers and economic operators.

Transparent
public procurement is one of the most important areas in the overall
European integration process. It is even more than a foundation of the
EU Single Market. It is also a foundation of the system of integrity and
responsibility, necessary for consolidating the rule of law and the
functioning of democracy.