Green Public Procurement in the Republic of Croatia

Zelena javna nabava je postupak kojim se javna tijela potiču na kupovinu “zelenih” proizvoda i usluga koji kroz životni vijek imaju manji učinak na okoliš od onih proizvoda koje bi inače nabavili. Globalno zatopljenje, klimatske promjene i potreba potrošnje prirodnih dobara, dovele su do nužnosti smanjenja emisija štetnih plinova u zrak, zagađenja vode i tla te smanjenja nastajanja otpada. Ljudske aktivnosti imaju negativan učinak na okoliš, a zelena javna nabava je prilika da se taj negativan utjecaj smanji. Ostvarenje promjena moguće je jedino kroz poticanje društvenog odgovornog ponašanja i jedno od rješenja je zelena javna nabava, kao potencijalni instrument za promjenu negativnog utjecaja na okoliš. Podržavanje programa zelene javne nabave dovodi do zelenog tržišta na kojem se želi postići interakcija između okoliša i javne vlasti koja potiče kupovinu okolišno prihvatljivih proizvoda i usluga i ujedno pokreće gospodarski rast. Ovaj rad daje pregled postupaka zelene javne nabave te provedbu zelene javne nabave u Republici Hrvatskoj. Na razini EU doneseno je više direktiva, uredbi i odluka koje se odnose na zelenu javnu nabavu s ciljem zaštite okoliša. Republika Hrvatska je donijela Nacionalni akcijski plan za zelenu javnu nabavu. Cilj ovog završnog rada je prikazati zelenu javnu nabavu kao pojam u pojednostavljenoj formi te definirati gdje se trenutno nalazi Republika Hrvatska po tom pitanju i koje su alternative za budućnost.Green public procurament is a process by which public authoritites are encouraged to purchase green products and services that have a lower impact on the environment throught their life cycle than those which they would otherwise procure. Global warming, climate change and the need to consume natural resources have led to the necessity of reducing the emissions of harmful gases into the air, the water and soil pollution, and the waste generation. Human activities have a negative impact on the environment, and green public procurement is an opportunity to reduce that impact. The change is possible only by encouraging socially responsible behavior and one of the solutions is green public procurement, as a potential instrument for changing the negative impact on the enviroment. Supporting green public procurement programs leads to a green market where the interaction between public authorites is sought, which encourages the purchase of environmentally friendly products and services and stimulates economic growth. The final paper gives an overview of the green procurement process and the implementation of green public procurement in the Republic of Croatia. Several directives, regulations and decisions relating to green public procurement have been adopted at the EU level, with the aim of protecting the enviroment. The Republic of Croatia has adopted the National Action Plan for the Green Public Procurement. The aim of final paper is to present green public procurement as a concept in a simplified form and to define the position of Croatia stands on this matter, and what are the alternatives for the future