6 years ago I pledged to minimise conference travel and, basically, not to fly. This prompted a productive debate at the time but it quickly petered out. I tended to get the occasional raised eyebrow (or, less frequently, a thumbs up) when I declined invitations for in-person participation and asked to join online. Initially, not … Read more
Thanks to Prof Carina Risvig Hamer, I had the opportunity to participate in the conference ‘EU Public Procurement anno 2025 – Are the rules fit for purpose?’ at the University of Copenhagen. This was an interesting couple of days with plenty food for thought — but also worryingly reminiscent of discussions already had back in … Read more
The annual meeting of the European Procurement Law Group a few weeks ago was a good excuse to find focused time to think about the ongoing process of review of the EU public procurement rules—as we are working on an edited book with a series of recommendations and reform proposals. My draft chapter focuses on … Read more
The EU has published its ‘AI Continent Action Plan’ (COM(2025)165). The Plan aims to enhance the EU’s AI capabilities by promoting initiatives around five key areas. One of those key areas concerns the promotion of AI in strategic sectors and, in particular, in the public sector and healthcare. The Plan includes some high level initiatives … Read more
The UK House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has published a new report on ‘Use of AI in Government’ (2024-25, HC 356). The report focuses on the specific situation in the UK and addresses issues closely related to the UK Government’s current ambitions to quickly roll out AI across the public sector. However, most recommendations … Read more