Press Release: Public procurement: infringement proceedings against Germany concerning procurement of waste disposal services by the city of Rostock

The European Commission decided to send a reasoned opinion to Germany concerning the award of waste disposal contracts by the city of Rostock to the Entsorgungs- und Verwertungsgesellschaft mbH Rostock (EVG) and to the Stadtentsorgung Rostock GmbH (SRG) without carrying out tender procedures. The contracts with EVG concerned the conclusion in 1998 and subsequent modification in 2004 of a contract with a duration of 25 years and a contract value of approximately 150 million Euros. The contracts with SRG in 2004 and 2007 concerned the modifications of previous contracts with an annual contract value of more than 10 million Euros per year. A reasoned opinion is the second stage of the infringement procedure as laid down in Article 226 of the EC Treaty. In the absence of a satisfactory reply within two months, the Commission may decide to refer the matter to the European Court of Justice.