The Utilities Directive and the need for standards with currency

A key element of the European Commission´s Single Market programme is the Public Procurement regime. The objective of the Public Procurement regime is to break down internal barriers by ensuring that: public purchasers operate transparent, nondiscriminatory procurement processes; and suppliers across all Member States have a fair and equal opportunity to win business. The requirements to achieve this are set out in the Utilities Directive and the Remedies Directive which are briefly outlined by the author. The author also discusses the obligation to refer to European standards, standards having currency in the European Community, derogations, case law and requirements for JTF guidelines