The Eurocodes at the workshop on Sustainable Public Procurement in Cambodia

@chakraknak

On 22 January 2025 in Phnom Penh, the Royal Government of Cambodia organised the Consultative Workshop on Sustainable Public Procurement in Cambodia, led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Environment and facilitated by the SWITCH-Asia EU programme. The event gathered more than 200 decision-makers and technical personnel from various government agencies, as well as private sector representatives and development partners. Participants exchanged on how to drive positive change in sustainable public procurement practices and identified key steps and priorities for implementing such practices in Cambodia, along with capacity and institutional building initiatives. 

The European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) participated in the workshop, sharing knowledge and experience on sustainable public procurement practices in the construction sector in Europe, and presenting the example of the Eurocodes – the European standards for safe, sustainable and climate-resilient buildings and infrastructure. JRC was invited to present the Eurocodes example in the framework of the EU-ASEAN Eurocodes Dialogue, under the Enhanced Regional EU-ASEAN Dialogue Instrument (E-READI) of the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships (INTPA). 

Under the Eurocodes Dialogue, the JRC facilitates knowledge transfer and capacity building in the ASEAN region to implement advanced technologies (the Eurocodes standards), for a resilient, safe, sustainable and comfortable built environment, raising the global competitiveness of the EU construction industry and promoting the EU leadership as standard setter in construction. The activities aim to raise awareness and share best practices in ASEAN countries on the Eurocodes – their concept, design philosophy, benefits of use and possibilities for implementation. Various capacity-building activities and workshops have been organised, including hosting an ASEAN study visit to JRC-Ispra in May 2024. 

SWITCH-Asia and the EU Delegation to Cambodia expressed great appreciation on raising awareness on the role of standards for construction and introducing the European and regional experience in procurement for the construction of public buildings using the Eurocodes.