EC gave no view on necessity of nuclear tender

The European Commission has not made any statement whether Hungary should have or should have not invited a tender for the construction of two new blocks for the country’s only nuclear power plant in Paks, a spokesperson of the EC pointed out.

At the same time, Sabine Berger, spokeswoman for EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger, confirmed that Budapest had in fact notified the EU executive of the draft agreement with Russia on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and the Commission informed the Hungarian government about the country’s obligations under the Euratom Treaty.

"Contrary to some reports the Commission has not made any statement on whether the Hungarian authorities should or not scrap a tender for a nuclear project. The EC is aware there are public procurement aspects in the context of the implementation of the atomic energy co-operation agreement [between Hungary and Russia]," Berger commented.

"These aspects will be examined shortly by experts. At this stage we cannot yet provide an assessment on compatibility with EU rules. As always, the Commission grants great importance to the implementation of EU public procurement rules. In the EU it is in the interest of all parties concerned and the wider economy," she added.