Press Release: Public procurement: Commission requests Portugal to amend discriminatory legislation on the award of certain public service contracts

The European Commission decided to send a formal request to Portugal regarding its legislation on the award of certain public service contracts, which in the Commission's view is not in conformity with the Public Procurement Directives. This legislation favours legal persons over individuals in the award of public services contracts for certain specific tasks ('tarefa') and for the continued provision of liberal profession services ('avença'). This formal request takes the form of a 'reasoned opinion', the second stage of the infringement procedure laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matter to the European Court of Justice