Press Release: Public procurement: Commission requests Austria and Germany to review award of contracts for food supply to Upper Austrian hospitals and for waste disposal in Wesermarsch (Lower Saxony)

The European Commission acted on 18 March 2010 to ensure that EU rules on public procurement – the spending of public money by public authorities – are respected in Austria and Germany. Austria will receive a formal request to review contracts for the supply of fresh food to Upper Austrian hospitals. Germany will receive a formal request concerning the award of services for the disposal and recovery of waste by the Administrative District (Landkreis) of Wesermarsch. The breaches of EU public procurement rules in question mean that the bidder offering the best value for money is potentially being denied access to these contracts. These two formal requests take the form of 'reasoned opinions', the second stage of the infringement procedure under Article 258 of the EU Treaty. If there is no satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may refer the matters to the Court of Justice.