The influence of recent developments in EU procurement law on the procurement regulation of member states: a case study of the UK, the Netherlands and France

Since 1993, the European Union has dramatically increased the scope and volume of its procurement regulation; particular increases have been made in terms of the procurement procedures made available, and the obligations that national contracting authorities have in light of EU law. This thesis examines the influence that recent developments in EU public procurement law have had on national procurement regulation in the UK, the Netherlands, and France. To assess this influence, three 'case study' areas were selected for investigation: the new procurement procedure 'competitive dialogue', made available for the procurement of complex contracts; the ability to repeat purchase using 'framework agreements', recently made available for purchasing in non-utilities sectors; and the Court of Justice's use of 'general principles of equal treatment and transparency', which has created new obligations for national contracting authorities. The thesis found that, in the areas examined, the influence of EU secondary legislation is substantial and-in two of the three countries examined-also plays a visible role in national regulation where EU law is not mandatory. The Court of Justice jurisprudence evaluated has had its most significant impact on the national judiciary: courts were found to reinforce the Court's judgments in all countries. Soft law issued by the European Commission had little perceivable influence on the formal legal regulation of the Member States examined, but may have influenced approaches taken to guidance or legislation more generally. The thesis also observed that harmonization of national laws, despite not being an objective of the EU rules, has increased in recent years-but even now, national differences (usually reflective of historical approaches taken to procurement regulation) are visible in those areas where the EU rules are optional, rather than mandatory

The influence of recent developments in EU procurement law on the procurement regulation of member states: a case study of the UK, the Netherlands and France

Since 1993, the European Union has dramatically increased the scope and volume of its procurement regulation; particular increases have been made in terms of the procurement procedures made available, and the obligations that national contracting authorities have in light of EU law. This thesis examines the influence that recent developments in EU public procurement law have had on national procurement regulation in the UK, the Netherlands, and France. To assess this influence, three 'case study' areas were selected for investigation: the new procurement procedure 'competitive dialogue', made available for the procurement of complex contracts; the ability to repeat purchase using 'framework agreements', recently made available for purchasing in non-utilities sectors; and the Court of Justice's use of 'general principles of equal treatment and transparency', which has created new obligations for national contracting authorities. The thesis found that, in the areas examined, the influence of EU secondary legislation is substantial and-in two of the three countries examined-also plays a visible role in national regulation where EU law is not mandatory. The Court of Justice jurisprudence evaluated has had its most significant impact on the national judiciary: courts were found to reinforce the Court's judgments in all countries. Soft law issued by the European Commission had little perceivable influence on the formal legal regulation of the Member States examined, but may have influenced approaches taken to guidance or legislation more generally. The thesis also observed that harmonization of national laws, despite not being an objective of the EU rules, has increased in recent years-but even now, national differences (usually reflective of historical approaches taken to procurement regulation) are visible in those areas where the EU rules are optional, rather than mandatory

Bordering two unions

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. How does Brexit change Northern Ireland’s system of government? Could it unravel crucial parts of Northern Ireland’s peace process? What are the wider implications of the arrangements for the Irish and UK constitutions? Northern Ireland presents some of the most difficult Brexit dilemmas. Negotiations between the UK and the EU have set out how issues like citizenship, trade, the border, human rights and constitutional questions may be resolved. But the long-term impact of Brexit isn’t clear. This thorough analysis draws upon EU, UK, Irish and international law, setting the scene for a post-Brexit Northern Ireland by showing what the future might hold

Your Body Is a Battleground: Pregnancy Discrimination and College Sports After 50 Years of Title IX David McArdle and Sylvia de Mars

This article offers a new perspective on academic institutions' engagement with Title IX, notably its provisions on pregnant and parenting students, as laid down in Regulation 34 CFR 106.41 as amended (the Pregnancy Regulation), and the concomitant NCAA model policy on pregnant and parenting student-athletes. That new perspective is achieved through a systematic content analysis of institutional pregnancy statements in schools' online student-athlete handbooks (OSAHs). There are few, if any, other examples of OSAHs being subjected to this degree of scrutiny, so the authors introduce readers to the rich source of data that OSAHs offer, and provide guidance on their analysis and interpretation. In considering why so few institutions have a pregnancy statement in their OSAHs, and why hardly any of them reflect the NCAA's model to any meaningful extent, the authors contend that institutions made a deliberate policy choice that was in part facilitated by the Supreme Court's decision in Gebser v Lago Vista Independent School District 524 US 274 (1998). The issue of pregnancy discrimination thus reflects a recurring feature within college sports: a three-way struggle between legal norms, a regulator with extensive but still limited powers, and member institutions that possess varying degrees of influence. On this occasion, the struggle has resulted in a comparative handful of colleges exercising disproportionate power not only over those other stakeholders, but also over the student-athletes whose wellbeing should lie at the heart of the relationship between them

Bordering two unions

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence. How does Brexit change Northern Ireland’s system of government? Could it unravel crucial parts of Northern Ireland’s peace process? What are the wider implications of the arrangements for the Irish and UK constitutions? Northern Ireland presents some of the most difficult Brexit dilemmas. Negotiations between the UK and the EU have set out how issues like citizenship, trade, the border, human rights and constitutional questions may be resolved. But the long-term impact of Brexit isn’t clear. This thorough analysis draws upon EU, UK, Irish and international law, setting the scene for a post-Brexit Northern Ireland by showing what the future might hold

The influence of recent developments in EU procurement law on the procurement regulation of member states : a case study of the UK, the Netherlands and France

Since 1993, the European Union has dramatically increased the scope and volume of its procurement regulation; particular increases have been made in terms of the procurement procedures made available, and the obligations that national contracting authorities have in light of EU law. This thesis examines the influence that recent developments in EU public procurement law have had on national procurement regulation in the UK, the Netherlands, and France. To assess this influence, three 'case study' areas were selected for investigation: the new procurement procedure 'competitive dialogue', made available for the procurement of complex contracts; the ability to repeat purchase using 'framework agreements', recently made available for purchasing in non-utilities sectors; and the Court of Justice's use of 'general principles of equal treatment and transparency', which has created new obligations for national contracting authorities. The thesis found that, in the areas examined, the influence of EU secondary legislation is substantial and-in two of the three countries examined-also plays a visible role in national regulation where EU law is not mandatory. The Court of Justice jurisprudence evaluated has had its most significant impact on the national judiciary: courts were found to reinforce the Court's judgments in all countries. Soft law issued by the European Commission had little perceivable influence on the formal legal regulation of the Member States examined, but may have influenced approaches taken to guidance or legislation more generally. The thesis also observed that harmonization of national laws, despite not being an objective of the EU rules, has increased in recent years-but even now, national differences (usually reflective of historical approaches taken to procurement regulation) are visible in those areas where the EU rules are optional, rather than mandatory.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Policy Paper: The Common Travel Area: Prospects After Brexit

Maintaining the Common Travel Area that has existed between the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man has been set down by the UK Prime Minister as one of her government’s 12 key negotiating objectives. In this note, some of the functions of the CTA are described, and the possible threats to it from Brexit are explored. It is concluded that the flexibility and informality of the CTA means that while maintaining it in name is relatively easy, changes to its substance are likely. Close scruntiny of any changes to the reciprocal nature and substantive provisions of the CTA are therefore essential to assessing the success of this aspect of the UK government’s negotiations