Course on public procurement and the rule of law
Annemarie Drahmann and Gert Jan Geertjes contribute to the Matra Rule of Law Training Programme of the Netherlands Helsinki Committee.
The Netherlands Helsinki Committee (NHC) is a non-governmental organisation that promotes human rights, the rule of law and justice in all countries of wider Europe. The Matra Rule of Law Training Programme is designed to strengthen institutional capacity in the field of rule of law within government organisations in Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine. Each year, NHC offers training courses, providing participants with insights into best practices across a wide range of rule of law topics.
This month, the NHC organised a course on public procurement. This training course aimed to improve knowledge of European regulations in the field of public procurement by looking at Dutch and international experience with regard to legitimacy and integrity of the purchasing process. The acquis on public procurement includes general principles of transparency, free movement of goods, and non-discrimination. Government contracts are of great economic and strategic importance and it is therefore necessary that systems are designed in such a way that conflicts of interest and corruption are prevented as much as possible.
On 11 March 2025, Gert Jan Geertjes and Annemarie Drahmann contributed to the training course. Gert Jan gave an introduction on the Dutch Constitution to public procurement officials. Annemarie gave a lecture on the principles of equality and transparency beyond the borders of public procurement.