Brussels, 02/05/2003 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday the European Commission decided to award a contract to Thessaloniki Metro Joint Venture Company for a total cost estimated at €700 million. After a detailed examination, the Commission decided that this public procurement did not breach Community provisions on public procurement because: 1) the contract does not breach the principle of equal treatment for all bidders, 2) does not depart unacceptably from the original tender documents 3) it is a legitimate concession contract where the holder of the concession bears part of the risk (income for the project was uncertain). The Commission's decision takes account of a January 2003 preliminary ruling by the European Court of Justice on a case referred by a Greek court on some aspects of the Thessaloniki metro contract. However, the decision, relates only to public procurement law and is without prejudice to other aspects of EU law. In particular, the Greek authorities will now need to submit their financial arrangements for clearance under EC Treaty state aid rules.