Developed as a key operational tool of the CE-PRINCE Transnational Strategy, the Action Plan offers a coordinated, multi-country framework designed to support public administrations at national, regional, and local levels in integrating circularity into their procurement procedures.
Turning Strategy into Action
The CE-PRINCE Transnational Strategy sets out three overarching objectives:
- Increasing the adoption of C/GPP practices,
- Developing shared standards and environmental criteria,
- Strengthening awareness and capacities among public and private stakeholders.
The new Action Plan brings these objectives to life by establishing clear, actionable, and country-specific measures that enhance public-sector readiness and operational capacity for circular procurement.
A Comprehensive Roadmap for Public Authorities
The Action Plan is designed to help public administrations:
- Embed circular and environmental criteria in public tenders, ensuring sustainability across the full lifecycle of goods and services;
- Strengthen technical knowledge and cross-departmental coordination, embedding circular procurement into long-term institutional practices;
- Leverage transnational cooperation to promote more consistent circular criteria across regions and governance levels;
- Implement new standardised tools, templates, and methodologies that support compliance with EU circular economy objectives.
Based on findings from the project’s Initial Assessment and EU-level frameworks (including the EU GPP criteria, the New Circular Economy Action Plan), the Action Plan responds directly to national and regional priorities while remaining aligned with a common Central European vision.
Key Activities and Tools
The Action Plan includes a structured package of activities to be implemented from now on until November 2026, such as:
- Capacity-building programmes: at least seven training and advocacy activities per country, targeting both decision-makers and PAs;
- Peer-to-peer exchanges and symposia: events that promote cooperation among public authorities and dialogue between public buyers and suppliers;
- Pilot actions: testing upgraded circular criteria in real tenders to strengthen practical understanding and operational capacity;
- Dissemination activities: events to promote results, share good practices, and engage citizens and stakeholders.
These activities span the project’s four priority sectors — agri-food, construction, manufacturing, and tourism-related goods and services — ensuring alignment with national contexts while maintaining comparability and transferability across countries.
Strengthening GPP as a Driver of Circular Economy
By empowering public authorities with knowledge, tools, and shared approaches, the Action Plan aims to reduce barriers to implementation and enhance the strategic role of Green Public Procurement in driving the circular transition across Central Europe.
“The TAPs offer a powerful opportunity to advance circular and green public procurement in Central Europe. ACR+ can leverage them as a practical, collaborative model that can be replicated and scaled across Europe to accelerate the circular transition.” (ACR+ Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management)
The document is available here.