France’s Leadership in Green Public Procurement: Achievements and Future Challenges in the EU Context

This article examines the current state of green public procurement (GPP) in France. The introduction provides a brief overview of the journey of green public procurement (GPP) in France. It establishes France as one of the leading countries in "greening" public procurement compared to other European countries that have transposed the same legislative frameworks specifically Directives 2014/23/EU and 2014/24/EU—and applied the various guidelines and strategic documents issued by the European Commission to support the practical implementation of GPP by Member States. Section 10.1 shows that by recognizing public procurement as an instrument of environmental policy, France has pursued an ambitious independent approach that extends beyond procurement itself to include sectoral legislation targeting agriculture and agri-food, waste management, and circular economy, and, more broadly, climate change mitigation. These sectoral policies incorporate green procurement components that have driven significant changes and commitments among public actors. Ultimately, it appears that the key levers for adopting green public procurement have been gradually activated, overcoming persistent challenges. The second section focuses on analyzing the determinants of the adoption of green public procurement, highlighting local resistance, and illustrating the continued need for substantial efforts to meet ambitious goals in the adoption of green procurement. Politics, in particular, emerges as crucial for overcoming administrative and institutional barriers.