What are governments buying?

In this episode of the Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with Bruegel’s Marie-Sophie Lappe and Francesco Nicoli, authors of a recent study on green public procurement, as well as Karolis Granickas of the Open Contracting Partnership non-governmental organisation. They discuss how governments decide what to buy, and what European policy can do to make this process work better. Is there a way for this purchasing to advance the climate transition agenda too? How can governments balance price, product choices and the impact on their local economies? How does this fit with the global context and balancing the pros and cons of non-EU products? This podcast aims to demystify the contracting cycle and unpack some of the issues at stake.

Related research:

• Lappe, M. and F. Nicoli (2025) ‘Advantages and pitfalls of green public procurement as a European strategic tool’, Working Paper 21/2025, Bruegel
• Towards a Green Procurement Union: trade-offs and strategic choices, Bruegel event, 24 September 2025
• See Open Contracting Partnership website: https://www.open-contracting.org/what-is-open-contracting/sustainability/