Thank you for your participation! Your feedback is important to us. Please take a few minutes to fill in the evaluation form on the conference clicking here.


The final conference of the Public Affairs Project, held in Dortmund, Germany, on 24th September 2010, was a great success!

FA!R PROCURA 2010 conference was the occasion to present the key outputs of the Public Affairs Project’s researches and initiatives, as well as to share experience with all stakeholders involved in Fair Trade, social and sustainable procurement fields.

More than one hundred participants, public authorities, NGOs, Fair Trade producers, Fair Trade retailers and supplying companies participated to the discussions on various topics such as food and textile sectors, as well as legal aspects of FTPP. The participants could benefit from the experience of high level speakers such as MEPs, legal experts and most advanced contracting authorities at EU level. The discussions and exchange of experiences were active and successful, addressing the key issues of FTPP.

The conference permitted to set the state of play of Fair Trade Public Procurement in Europe, and to continue raising awareness about how to use FTPP as a tool to support sustainable development and, in particular, marginalised producers in developing countries.

A session was especially dedicated to FTPP issues in countries where Fair Trade awareness is still low. Interesting discussions were raised and the session was rated as very educating and valuable by the participants, of which many were coming from EU new Member States.

To learn more about the project’s key outputs, you can visit our website, or contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Speakers presentations

Opening Plenary

Fair Trade public procurement in EU policies
Sergi Corbalan, Coordinator of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office, Secretary of the European Parliament Working Group on Fair Trade
EU official documents about Fair Trade and EU official documents mentioning Fair Trade

Fair Trade public procurement can make a difference
Lianne Zoeteweij, director of El Guabo, Fair Trade producers Organisation, Ecuador

FTPP, an essential tool for sustainable development at local level
Mar Campanero, “Sustainable Municipality” Programme, Municipality of Barcelona, Spain

Assessing FTTP in Europe: The Public Affairs project experience
Project partners: Astrid Hilaire, European Fair Trade Association (EFTA); Elisa Dolci, Ctm-altromercato; Laura Rodriguez, part 1 and part 2, IDEAS; Lynn Geerinck, Oxfam-Wereldwinkels; Peter Defranceschi, ICLEI

DOs & DON’Ts on Fair Trade Public Procurement (FTPP)
Presentation of the publication "Buying Fair Trade", by Astrid Hilaire, European Fair Trade Association

A: Continued legal session: DO’s and DON’Ts on FTPP
Presentation made by Marc Martens, Lawyer, Bird & Bird Brussels office
"The place of “Social Criteria” in Public Procurement Policies for Legal and Sustainable Timber", by Janet Meissner Pritchard, Lawyer, ClientEarth

C: Food
Presentation of the Italian experience in Fair Trade catering, by Enrico Reggio, Ctm-Altromercato
Presentation of Wales experience, by Eleanor Fisher, Centre for Development Studies, Swansea University, Wales, United Kingdom

D: FTPP in countries of low Fair Trade awareness
Presentation of the Liguria Region experience, by Serenella Milia, Head of the Trade Development Policy Unit at the Liguria Region