03 July 2006 | Paul Snell

The European Commission (EC) is referring Germany and Greece to the European Court of Justice for alleged breaches of public procurement rules.

In 1995 a number of administrative districts in Lower Saxony awarded a contract for waste disposal until 2019 to another public body. Germany believed the deal was exempt from EU procurement rules because it was awarded to another public-sector organisation. The EC is now referring the case to the European court and Germany could be fined if it is found to have breached the rules.

Greece is being referred for two alleged irregularities in tendering for medical supplies. The first surrounds the alleged rejection of medical equipment on safety grounds, despite it conforming to EU safety standards. The second is that Greek law allows contracts for some medical supplies to be awarded without tendering, breaking EU regulations.

The Greek authorities said they have taken action with regards to both allegations. However, the EC is still concerned that Greece has failed to change its national laws to comply with EU rules.

Further details of the infringements are available at: www.ec.europa.eu

The EC has also served "reasoned opinions" to Spain, Portugal, Italy, Austria, Malta, which are all accused of infringing procurement rules. Reasoned opinions set out grounds for legal action, requiring countries to resolve matters by a specific date, or risk being taken to court.

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