Brussels, 23/03/2005 (Agence Europe) - The Commission is to send a letter of formal notice to Greece requesting information on the compatibility of its Constitution and a national public procurement law with Community law. Greece has 15 days in which to answer. The spokesperson for Charlie McCreevy, European Commission for the Internal Market, recognised that suspension of payments under Structural Funds could result if Greece is found guilty in this affair.
In Greece, the Constitution and the law 3310/2005 ban certain legal and natural persons from taking part in public procurement procedures. The ban mainly targets key shareholders and the management of mass media companies. It also concerns any so-called “intermediary” persons (in the sense of Article 14(9) of the Greek Constitution), namely parents, spouses or any legal or natural persons who are financially dependent. The Commission considers that the legal provisions in force in Greece contradict the spirit of the treaties and the European legislation on public procurement.